Seeking a Center
by Smertios
Summary: AU. The fallout of the Uchiha Massacre forces Sandaime to send Naruto away to live in a secluded monastery. At age 11 he returns to Konoha to become a Genin. NaruHina.
1. Chapter 1: End on End

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Author's Note: **Welcome to my first fic: Seeking a Center. This story is an AU focusing on a world in which Naruto is able to find balance and security. Read and enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. This fic is not produced for financial reward; it is produced purely in the name of artistic expression. It is therefore protected expression: etc. etc.

Chapter One: End on End 

'But I've got it now,  
I've got the rhythm down.  
Cycles of end on end.  
But if one wave stops, another begins.'

_Rites of Spring: End on End_

In Konoha, it was common knowledge that the clan with the most beautiful compound was the Hyuuga clan. Beautiful Dojo, wonderful gardens, and an austere manner (referred to by the less reverent as being 'uptight'), made it a wonder of the Shinobi world. However, the Hyuuga Compound was not the largest. That honor fell to the Uchiha compound. It was a sprawling, but practical compound that made space for a fairly large clan without the arrogance or long tradition of the Hyuuga clan.

In the end, it was this size that contributed to their destruction.

Uchiha Itachi pulled his blade out of his Uncle's back and smiled. The spacious nature of the compound had allowed him to attack the clan family by family. This process was significantly less challenging than fighting the whole clan at once. With the Mangekyou Sharingan at his disposal, it was Child's play to quickly and quietly remove his relatives from the gene pool.

He walked into the next home on the row, his own, and came face to face with his mother. "Itachi… Why are you –"

A sword cut interrupted her in mid-sentence, sending her spinning to the ground. A cry of rage escaped from the corner of the room, and his father rushed towards him, Sharingan blazing. Itachi smirked. "Tsukiyomi."

The man stopped in mid-step and collapsed to the ground. Itachi placed his sword at the man's neck and whispered, "You will see something coming towards you from behind."

The head of the Uchiha clan jerked forwards, as though in fear of an assault from behind, and ran the katana through his windpipe. As he lay on the floor, slowly dying, Itachi prodded him towards his wife. There now remained one other member of the clan to be disposed of.

Sasuke, unlike the other members of the clan, was to be spared. It had been Itachi's hope that the boy would be loyal enough to him that he could bring him along when he left, but when the young Uchiha had received his father's approval, Itachi had been forced to rethink his plans. Sasuke would never be a significant threat to Itachi. The boy had always been too soft to be truly powerful. Therefore, Itachi was going to have the best revenge of all on the boy. He was going to let him live. The youngest Uchiha would be truly alone, and would swear to kill Itachi. When he finally got back up on his feet again, Itachi would kill him, savoring an extended revenge against his clan.

Itachi pulled his blade from his father's neck and turned. As he did, Sasuke walked into the home. The young boy's eyes widened, and he collapsed to the floor. "Why? Why did you do it?"

"They were just a measuring stick to test myself."

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror. "A measuring stick? That's why…" He coughed, as Itachi continued to stare at him. Then, sensing that his brother would not respond, continued, "That's why you did it? You killed everyone for that?"

Frustration flared in the back of Itachi's head, but he fought it down and closed his eyes in impatience. "It was very important for me to do so."

His younger brother rose to his feet, eyes blazing in anger. "That's just bullshit!"

Sasuke charged, rage blazing in his eyes. With a sigh, Itachi stepped off of the line of the charge and slammed his fist right into his little brother's stomach. The boy doubled over and sank to the floor. Itachi leaned over him, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. This _was_ going to be fun. "I'm scared!"

Sasuke had begun sobbing, as he cowered away from Itachi. "D- Don't kill me!"

"You're not even worth killing, foolish little brother." Itachi smirked down at his little brother. "If you want to kill me… Hate me. Live miserably. Survive and run, run, run."

The boy scrambled to his feet and turned for the door. "No, little brother. You are not even worth my time… There is another in this village, whose power I need much more than yours. Run and survive for now, because you have only horror in front of you, and only tragedy behind."

With that, Itachi left his childhood home and leapt to the roof. His target should be reaching his apartment soon.

- - - - - - - - - -

Uzumaki Naruto was whistling jauntily as he made his way home from the Ninja Academy. Images of steaming cups of Top Ramen danced in his head, and his stomach was grumbling loudly. For all of his life, Ramen had been the one food he could count on. While other adults would refuse him service, the keeper of the Ichiraku Ramen Stand was always glad to sell Naruto more Ramen.

The young boy didn't know why everyone hated him, but he was willing to guess that it had nothing to do with his pranks or with the volume of his speech. After all, they had hated him before he had ever pulled a prank. Only the Hokage, Ichiraku, and Umino Iruka had ever given the boy any respect.

Not that Naruto cared. He would show them all. One day, he was going to become Hokage, and show them all that he was worthy of their respect. Then they would come crawling on hands and knees, asking for his forgiveness. He would give it to them, just so he could be better than they were.

He reached the door to his apartment and kicked it open. The door had long since been vandalized beyond repair, and the lock had given out years ago. If anyone wanted to break in, the only thing stopping them was a massive pile of laundry and the smell of rancid milk. The old bed gave a large squeal of protest when Naruto settled down on it. He never even noticed the large shadow looming in the corner of the two-room apartment. "Ahhh…"

Itachi rolled his eyes and wondered what the Academy was coming to. Any shinobi should have seen him the moment they walked in. He wasn't even really hiding. Not that he was going to complain, of course, since it made his job that much easier.

A few steps carried him over to the sprawled out 7-year-old and he brought a fist down on the boy's skull. Naruto's eyes rolled back in his head. Itachi scooped him up.

Moments later the two were moving across Konoha's rooftops at a dead run, heading towards the walls, and the outside world.

- - - - - - - - - -

Hatake Kakashi _hated _patrols. They were boring, long, and a waste of time that could be spent reading his new book _Icha Icha Paradise Volume One_. All in all, he couldn't think of a worse way to spend a perfectly good evening. The streets were practically deserted, and the rooftops were damp from the rain that had begun to fall a few minutes ago. That meant Kakashi was wet, bored, and tired; a very bad combination for anyone.

He chose to move over the roofs, rather than to walk down the streets, so that he could keep an eye on the city below, and stay fairly still. His segment of the city was dominated by apartment building and small businesses, and like most such areas had more alleys than any one ANBU could reasonably be expected to watch. To his chagrin, he was still expected to do so.

He was about to reach into his shuriken pouch to risk a bit of reading on the job, when a form across the street caught his attention. A tall shinobi with a sword at his side was sprinting across the rooftops towards the edge of town. Slung over his shoulder, a bundle was being roughly jostled by the uneven gait of the shinobi. Kakashi quickly began moving in the direction of the man, hoping to figure out what was going on, when he caught sight of a flash of blonde hair at the end of the bundle. Then he _knew_.

The Copy-Cat Ninja pulled out two kunai and sent them hurtling towards the knees of the fast-moving shinobi, but one went wide. The other slashed the side of the other ninja's knee, drawing blood. The man doubled his speed. Kakashi cursed, and sent an emergency frequency call to the ANBU standing watch at the walls, using his mask's radio. "Suspicious shinobi heading towards the South walls, carrying what appears to be Uzumaki Naruto. Please move to intercept."

"Roger."

Kakashi wasted no time in heading towards the walls himself. Even at a dead sprint, the other man was still moving faster than him. When he came to a turn in the street below, Kakashi quickly moved onto the same side as the advancing kidnapper, Kunai in both hands. "Halt! This is the ANBU!"

The man took one glance back, and then sped up even further. Kakashi saw the man's pupils were bright red, and put two and two together. _'Obito never trusted him. I can see why now.'_

"Target Identified as Uchiha Itachi. Use care in intercepting him."

His fellow ANBU came into view in a moment. Hyuuga Hiroshi was a deadly fighter, and would give even Itachi a run for his money; especially if Kakashi joined in. The Hyuuga threw a set of three Shuriken directly at Itachi, clearly not caring if Naruto was hit or not. The runaway Uchiha simply jumped over them, and continued on. Hiroshi got within range, and shot a palm out at Itachi, who sidestepped at the last minute, and drove his knee into the Hyuuga's stomach.

Kakashi drew a kunai, and hurled it at Itachi's back. Itachi, caught of guard, was struck right through the right shoulder. With a grunt of pain, he turned to face Kakashi, anger clear in his face. "Uchiha Itachi, you are under arrest for –"

Itachi turned and ran. "Dammit!"

Much to Itachi's frustration, Hiroshi jutted out a leg, and sent the Uchiha prodigy careening to the ground. His bundle spilled from his arms. Itachi hissed out a curse and struggled to rise, but Kakashi had caught up to them and was holding a kunai to his throat. "Don't move."

Itachi's eyes darted around, seeking an avenue of escape. Then, with the look of a caged animal, he relaxed. Kakashi relaxed as well, convinced that the chase was over. That was his mistake. Itachi kicked him in the stomach, lifting him up and slamming him into Hiroshi, who still lay on the ground. "You should have let me take him, Kakashi. They don't want him here. They hate him. I would have given him purpose, and power. He would have lived up to the grand name of the Ninetails."

With that, Itachi fled, leaving Naruto lying on the rooftop. Kakashi sighed. This meant filling out reports and attending more meetings. Hiroshi stirred. "T- Taichou… Would you mind getting off of me?"

Kakashi rolled off of the abused Hyuuga and struggled to his feet. He scooped up Naruto in one arm, and Hiroshi in the other, and then slowly started towards Konoha's main hospital. _'So much for a nice quiet night of reading.'_

- - - - - - - - - -

Konoha's Sandaime Hokage was in a very bad mood. In less than three hours a clan of his Shinobi had been wiped out, an S-rank missing-nin had escaped Konoha's ANBU, and Kyuubi's container had been attacked and kidnapped. Now he was sitting in a hospital chair, waiting for the orphaned son of his dead successor to awake whilst listening to a disgruntled Hatake Kakashi give his report. "Itachi said that I should have let Naruto go with him, and that Naruto would have become powerful being trained by him."

"That's the root of the problem…"

"Sir?" Kakashi was clearly confused by Sarutobi's musings.

The Hokage waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I was talking to myself."

Hatake nodded and made to leave the room. "Sir… Arashi-sensei… He knew this would happen. I know he left you instructions on what to do if Naruto ever came to be threatened by people seeking his power."

"He so badly wanted Naruto to be a hero." Sarutobi hung his head, disappointed with his villagers and with the plan's that the Yondaime had left behind. "He wanted people to realize that he was acting in their defense, and not a monster."

The container stirred briefly, and rolled over onto his side, curling up and whimpering lightly in his dreams. Kakashi moved towards the door again. "Maybe if he goes away for a little while, they will gain some perspective. Especially if he comes back powerful."

As Kakashi left the room, the Hokage sighed. "Would that they had such strength of character in them. No… Villagers, for all of their good intentions, are weak-willed and easily given to hatred."

He stroked the boy's blonde hair. When Arashi had left the care of his only child to his predecessor, he had given the boy to the wrong caretaker. As much as Sarutobi cared for the youngling, he was weighted down by the responsibilities of a Kage and growing older swiftly. He was too busy to take care of himself fully, let alone care for the poor, mistreated young man in the bed before them. Worse yet, there were few he could trust to watch over the boy at all. The hate of the villagers had spread to shinobi as well. Yearly there were attempts on his life by shinobi that were foiled by Hatake Kakashi and his ANBU.

Sarutobi cursed fate. He was tired. He wanted to retire to a home out in the country and write his memoirs before passing away to finally get some well-needed rest. Every day the weight of his robes grew greater. As much as he wanted to care for Naruto, he could not.

He reached for a pen and some paper.

_'Master Tayuki_

_I write to you with gravest concerns regarding the well being of Kazama Arashi's son. The container of the Kyuubi is under constant threat from rogue-nin, and from the villagers of this village. I fear that he can no longer stay here safely._

_It is with a heavy heart that I must beg you to take on the care and tutelage of one Uzumaki Naruto, who was commended into my care after his father's death. I know it has been some time since your Monastery has taken on a Shinobi as an apprentice, but I feel that Naruto can only be safe in a fully secluded location. Your teaching will undoubtedly offer him great opportunity for growth. It is my hope that you will find him a ready and able student._

_He is exuberant, and often loud, but he is also dedicated to learning, and eventually gaining my position. Perhaps with a more stable atmosphere, he will be able to find his center and grasp the maturity and power needed to become Hokage._

_I apologize for my solicitations, and hope this letter finds you in good health._

_Signed,_

Sarutobi – Sandaime Hokage' 

As he finished the letter, the door to the hospital room slid open, and Umino Iruka entered the room. "Hokage-sama. How is he?'

The Hokage felt a bubble of warmth grow in his stomach. For all of Naruto's suffering, there were still some who held the boy in the highest regard. Iruka, even though he had as much reason to hate Naruto as anyone, was one of the few who genuinely cared for the boy. "He is doing well. He suffered only a light head injury. He will regain consciousness soon enough."

The Chuunin nodded, and sat down on the other side of the hospital bed. "Hokage-sama… I would like to request permission to adopt Naruto. It is clear that he is not safe living on his own."

Sarutobi paused for a moment, and then replied, "I am sorry Iruka. It is no longer safe for Naruto to remain within the walls of this village. While I am sure that you would care for him well, you are only a Chuunin, and Naruto is threatened by S-rank missing-nin. I am sending him to the Nakayama Monastery, where he will be in no danger until he is well enough trained to care for himself."

Iruka seemed disappointed, but he nodded his understanding. "May I inform his classmates of his departure once he is gone? There is at least one who will miss him terribly."

_'Hyuuga Hinata, will indeed miss Naruto. Although she would never say as much.'_ Sarutobi was charmed by the young girl's crush on his charge, who had little enough love in the world as it is. "You may. I hope to have him leave in two days or less, escorted by Hatake Kakashi. You may inform them then. For now, say your own goodbyes."

The Hokage stood up and left the room, carrying with him the note that Kakashi would carry to the monastery, high in the mountains.

**Author's Notes: **That is the end of the first Chapter. Thank you for reading this far. The next chapter: Runaway Return will be released soon.

Constructive Criticism would be much appreciated if you feel that there are things that need to be improved. I'm working without a Beta for now, so my grammar may be in serious need of improvement (although it appears to be correct from my read-through).

Thank you for reading so far.

Smertios


	2. Chapter 2: Runaway Return

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Author's Notes: **Chapter 2 is right here. I've got an outline that stretches out to a 17th chapter (but is fairly vague and doesn't complete past the first part of the Chuunin exam, so I've got some work left to do on that.). I didn't really want to deal with the stuff in between Naruto's entry to the Monastery and his exit, but much of it will be covered in flashbacks, just so a background exists. The pairing will be NaruHina, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It'll be a while until Naruto and Hinata are of an age where a stable relationship is feasible.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I make no money off of this Fan Fiction; my only form of remuneration is reviews from readers and a sense of accomplishment. That means it's fair use.

Chapter Two: Runaway Return 

'_There's nothing waiting, there's nothing imminent,  
Nothing forgiven for the young idea.  
There's nothing waiting, there's nothing imminent,  
And nobody seems surprised,  
The runaway returns.  
Welcome back.'_

Fugazi: Runaway Return 

- - - - - - - - - - -

The Nakayama Monastery was unquestionably one of the most secluded places in all of the Fire Country. Situated in the valley between two mountains, a good 50 miles from any other form of civilization, the Monastery was known only to those monks who had studied there, and those few shinobi who helped to organize it's defense.

The large valley offered a reasonable amount of farmland. With some terracing; the mountainsides provided enough food for the Monks to eat an adequate, if plain, diet. As a primarily scholarly Monastery, books had to be brought in, but Shinobi were contracted to handle deliveries.

The actual buildings were much more pleasant than the bamboo huts that many monks had to make due with. Modestly sized apartments were placed around a central courtyard, and a large dojo provided a place of practice. Monks who preferred further solitude (usually for deep meditation, or out of respect of a vow of solitude) were granted cells in a separate building.

Naruto had found himself, if not at home, at least well centered in the plain community of Buddhist Monks and Scholars who stayed at the Monastery. It was certainly not an exiting existence (although he had discovered that certain monks were more tolerant of pranks than others), but many of the monks were willing to offer him training in everything from meditation to martial study.

It was not common knowledge amongst shinobi, but the first Shinobi had been warrior monks defending their Monasteries against tyrants. Because of this connection, Naruto had gained access to an invaluable well of knowledge about Chakra control, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu.

As he approached his 11th Birthday, he found that he had burned through knowledge available to him, and surpassed his teachers. It was at this point that the head of the Monastery had chosen to call him into the small administrative office that served as quartermaster's office and chore duty board to the secluded office.

Tayuki Jiro was a dignified old man, approaching his 80th year of life. Even at his age, he still retained superb health and a mischievous glow in his eye. He knelt on the floor beside his pallet, and smiled as Naruto walked in. "Uzumaki-San. I am glad you came so quickly."

Naruto knelt on the other side of the small writing tablet in front of the man, and bowed to him (all in all, it wasn't his style, but he had long since learned that the best way to keep the monks in a good mood was to follow customs). "Tayuki-sensei, what did you want to speak to me about?"

The wizened old man smiled slightly, amused at a rare moment of formal speech from Naruto. "It is drawing closer to the time when you must return to Konoha and take up the life you had before you came here."

"Really? Already?" Naruto's face lit with glee, and his formal mask slipped. "I'll go back there and kick some ass!"

The man gave him a stern look, and Naruto's enthusiasm retreated back behind a formal façade. "We cannot send you to Konohagakure until an escort arrives, but Hatake Kakashi will be here with fresh parchment in a week's time."

Naruto nodded, fighting down the urge to whoop at the mention of his old escort's name. Kakashi had been pretty cool, for an old guy. "Thank you, Sensei. I was hoping to get to see him again."

"Naruto, before you leave, there is one thing we must discuss."

Naruto, who had been hoping to get out soon and return to his kata, suppressed a groan. He gave a cheeky grin and said, "Discuss away."

The old man adopted the traditional posture of one about to tell a tale. "You know, of course, the tale of the Nine-tailed Fox, the Kyuubi. All children learn how the Yondaime defeated the beast, after Konoha's hero sacrificed his life. However, no child knows what method was used.

"You see, Naruto, Kyuubi was a fully-grown Kitsune, and therefore was many times more powerful than any Shinobi. The Yondaime could not have defeated the monster with his formidable strength.

"Yondaime instead chose to seal the monster into the navel of a newborn child, therefore stopping the monster's rampage."

Naruto felt his stomach drop down into his toes. "That child… Who was it?"

The old man's eyes grew sad. "He chose the only child he could find. He chose his own son… He chose you, Naruto."

"That's why the villagers… That's why they hated me… Isn't it?"

Tayuki nodded and gave the boy a sympathetic look. "It was difficult for them to understand the difference between the demon and the child it had been sealed in. They were ordered never to discus the Kyuubi with anyone, but they still hated you. They taught their children that hate as well."

Uzumaki Naruto had never been known for shedding tears. His bright and cheerful attitude was normally contagious, leading more solemn monks to act like they were children again. When the first hint of moisture struck the wood floor of the office, it was the first time Naruto had cried since he was too young to remember. "They're wrong! I'll show them how wrong they are!"

"Naruto… Revenge is not justice. It simply continues the wheel of suffering."

A grim smile appeared on the face of the blonde-haired Jinchuuriki. "Who said anything about revenge, old man? I'll show them that I am better than they will ever be. I will become the Kage of their village, and I _won't _hate them."

Pride swelled in Tayuki's breast. "It takes great strength of character to overcome anger and replace it with compassion. Now… I have been instructed to ask you if you know what might have caused Brother Yamada's undergarments to turn a violent shade of pink?"

Five minutes later, monks came rushing out of their place of meditation, to see a mischievous young man sprinting away from the head of the Monastery. "Gotcha!"

Heads were shaken, sighs of disappointment echoed through the courtyard, and small smiles appeared on many faces. It was going to be hard to have the Monastery's mascot depart.

- - - - - - - - - -

At a young age Hatake Kakashi had sworn never to have children. After his own childhood experience following his father's ritual suicide, he simply felt he could not force that life off onto an innocent child. The risk of having a parent die, lose their sanity, or simply not be present enough was too great.

At this particular moment he was very glad he had made that decision. "Are we there yet?"

An overexcited blonde was jogging along at his side, looking very bored. "We'll get there soon enough. You asking won't make it any faster."

The blonde pouted for a moment, and then jumped into a new line of questioning. "You're an ANBU, right?"

"Yes"

The boy's eyes lit with enthusiasm. "So you could teach me a really strong jutsu?"

Kakashi looked up from his book, looking very frustrated. "I'll tell you what. I'll teach you a really powerful jutsu… If you shut up."

Kyuubi's container nodded, and went skipping off. Kakashi, glad for a moment of peace, returned to his book. _'Shiro smiled, glad that his girlfriend was as exited for this as he was. "Haruka… You're so –'_

Naruto's voice echoed from a bend in the road in front of him. "We're back!"

Kakashi sighed and caught up to the exited young man. Where the path bent, the walls of Konoha became visible in the distance. Naruto bounced up and down in excitement and remarked, "I had forgotten how big the walls were!"

Kakashi placed a hand on the top of the boy's head, and ruffled his hair, earning him a disgruntled glare from the boy. "Welcome home, Naruto."

To his surprise, the boy dashed off towards the walls. "Hurry up, slow poke!"

The ANBU Captain smiled and put on a burst of speed. "You really don't want to just run towards the walls."

"Wh-"

At that moment two ANBU dropped down in front of them. Naruto ran face-first into the stomach of one and tumbled to the ground in a heap. "Halt!"

Kakashi shrugged. "I told you…"

Naruto glared at him, and stood up. While he dusted himself off, one of the ANBU held out a hand. "Identification please."

Kakashi dug through his pack and pulled out the passports he had been given for himself and Naruto. "Hatake Kakashi, ANBU Captain, bringing Uzumaki Naruto back to Konoha after an extended training trip."

The ANBU nodded and checked the passports for confirmation. "Welcome to Konoha, Sir. The Hokage would like to meet with both of you when it becomes convenient."

"Alright."

Naruto and Kakashi walked through the gates of Konoha. Naruto's head was snapping from side to side, excitement clear on his features. "Naruto, I have to report to the Hokage on my mission. Take your equipment to your apartment and join me at the Hokage's office."

"Hai!"

As the boy dashed off along the streets, causing disgruntled pedestrians to glare at him, Kakashi smiled. It was good to see Naruto enthusiastic about his return. The Hokage had worried that the boy would be disappointed at coming back to a place where he was feared and reviled.

- - - - - - - - - -

As Naruto left Kakashi's range of vision, he slowed, and let the mindless smile slip from his face. The act he had been projecting disappeared, and he trudged forward towards his apartment. Naruto allowed himself a measure of satisfaction. Having fooled the ANBU into assuming that he was still the overly enthusiastic boy who had left Konoha had been no easy task.

Naruto didn't want the people of Konoha to know that he was no longer the lighthearted simpleton who had left them. It was important that if he were ever attacked people would assume he was clueless. Being underestimated very valuable.

Until it came time to begin proving himself, he was much safer if he acted the clown. That had been drilled into his skull by instructors on a daily basis.

Konoha hadn't changed all that much. Most stores were identical to the way they had been when he left. The streets had been repaired, but they were wearing down again. Most noticeably, the people glared in the same manner. Whenever they thought he wasn't looking, they cast looks of vehement hatred at his back. _'It's nice to know some things never change.'_

He passed Ichiraku Ramen, and resisted the urge to throw himself into the establishment and eat until he was bloated. That particular pleasure would have to wait until late.

As he walked into his apartment building, he tensed, preparing for an assault upon his senses. He had left his room much in the state it had been in when Itachi had assaulted him. There had been laundry piled up to his height, and food sitting out on the counters. There was no doubt in his mind that, assuming there was anything left in the room at all, the stench was going to be overwhelming.

To his surprise, his door had been repaired. The lock was functional, and he was forced to pick it to get in (the only key he had was on top of his dresser). The door swung open with only a small squeal, and Naruto tensed. "Huh?"

Instead of discovering a mildewing pigsty, he had entered a well-cleaned apartment. His laundry had clearly been done, and it now was stacked neatly in one corner. The counters had been cleared and cleaned, the shelves had been dusted and repaired, and his bed had different sheets on it. _'Did the Hokage allow someone else to move in here?'_

It seemed unlikely that anyone would have the poor taste to hold onto his old orange jumpsuits (even _he_ winced at the sight of them every morning), but he wasn't going to rule such a possibility out. However, the bed seemed as though it hadn't been slept in recently, and both rooms had the slightly stale smell of quarters no one was living in, so he decided it was safe to stow his stuff in the room for the time-being and move it if someone else had gained possession of the apartment.

His only chair had been reupholstered, and when he sank down in it, it gave a pleasant sigh. _'What should I let on?'_

That _was_ the question. Naruto had grown significantly stronger since the time he had departed Konoha. He was perfectly aware of the fact that in terms of power he fell somewhere in between a weak Chuunin and a powerful Genin. However, at age 11 he was expected to be an Academy Student. The difference between a last year Academy Student and a Genin was that a Genin had actual combat experience. Combat experience changed everything about the way a person reacted. New instincts formed in an experienced Genin. Naruto had begun to take the first steps towards Chuunin level, and was evolving away from the very cookie cutter style of a Genin and into his own personal style. All of these things made it important for him to put on a very good act or risk losing the advantage of surprise.

It all came down to the question of where Naruto needed to be. As an Academy Student, he would be hard-pressed to learn anything beyond theory (a subject he had little to no taste for), but he would stay in character. It would provide him with time to pull pranks and do personal training (and he felt the two should be done in combination), but the classes would be a total waste of his time. As a Genin he would be above the rest of his age group, but would receive valuable experience that he would not gain as an Academy Student. His goal of reaching Kage level would be that much closer.

That made the decision much easier. He had a single-minded determination on the subject of reaching the Kage level and _nothing_, not even tactical advantage in his first few fights, was going to stand in his way.

Flashback

_"Naruto-kun, would you please tell the class what the Hokage does?"_

_A young Naruto nervously stood in front of his class, and cudgeled his brain for answers. "He's the most powerful Shinobi in the Village!"_

_Iruka sighed. It was clear that Naruto had not done the reading he had assigned. "Does anyone else have more to add?"_

_Sakura raised her hand. "The Hokage is in charge of all of Konoha's Shinobi. He selects missions for different teams, oversees the training of Students, communicates with the Daimyo and the Village Elders, and keeps diplomatic relations open between Konoha and other Hidden Villages."_

_"That's boring! Who would want to do that?_

_"Naruto! The Hokage is the most respected Shinobi in the village! Don't badmouth him!"_

Flashback

That was it then. The only way to move onward and upward was to be a genin. However, that didn't mean he had to show _all_ of his strengths. He gave a small smile, and leapt up from his chair. Maybe there would even be time to pull a little prank…

- - - - - - - - - -

"When did you send Naruto to his apartment, Kakashi?"

The Hokage gave a perturbed glance at the clock in the corner of his office. "An hour ago, Sir. Knowing him, he got distracted by Ichiraku's stand and forgot all about us."

Sarutobi chuckled, and reached into his desk to produce a book. "Jiraiya wanted me to give you this. He said that he thought he should reward your dedicated readership."

Kakashi took the book and nodded his thanks. "Naruto hasn't changed all that much. He's still the same loudmouthed, hyperactive kid you sent away from here. I had expected life at the Monastery to mellow him out somewhat."

"I had too. However, there are some fires that even the most intense river cannot quench. I'm glad to see his determination is so strong."

"Hokage-Sama!" One of the Hokage's aides rushed into the room. "That brat just vandalized the Hokage monument!"

Kakashi chuckled. "So much for that."

Sarutobi rubbed at his forehead, wondering for a moment what had inspired him to say something so inviting to the gods of irony. "Capture him and have him brought here."

The man shuffled his feet for a moment, and looked sheepish. "He, um… Well… We can't catch him. He's too fast!"

In the course of both of his terms as Hokage, the Third had seen many strange things. The thought of elite Jounin being outrun by a hyperactive Academy Student, however, was novel to him. "Kakashi, please accompany this man to capture Naruto."

The ANBU Captain, and former student of the Fourth Hokage scowled beneath his mask. _'Why me?'_

- - - - - - - - - -

Those who claimed that Uzumaki Naruto's pranks were chaotic or random could not be more wrong. While it might seem that vandalizing the Hokage Monument was, at best, an expression of his frustration with the way the village treated him. Many would argue that the boy just targeted his pranks at gaining attention, or perhaps at harming everything that made Konoha, Konoha. Naruto, however, preferred to think of himself as an artist.

Vandalizing the Hokage Monument was, in Naruto's mind, an example of Modernist art at it's best. As a piece of symbolism, it offered a scathing criticism of the way that the men were set upon pedestal (or, as truth would have it, a mountain), by lowering them to the purely human level. Now, they blushed, grinned like perverts, and had nosebleeds trickling down to their robes. As a piece of social commentary, Naruto felt it was brilliant. It forced Konoha to look at their pre-established biases, and rethink who their heroes and villains were. In his opinion, it was beautiful.

It was a pity that most of Konoha disagreed. "Come back here, you monster!"

Naruto turned and made a face at the Jounin, who was charging after him, and stuck out his tongue. "Why don't you make me?"

He had thus far managed to avoid capture by dodging in and out of crowds, and using his size to put obstacles in the Jounin's path, but his luck was slowly wearing down as they approached the wooded training areas that bordered the main city. As they came up to the trees, he started calculating._ 'If I push off the tree there, and use it's momentum to carry me over his head, I can force him to chase me through the village again, and maybe peel him off of me for long enough to find a hiding place.'_

With a burst of power, he leapt towards the thick tree that bordered Training Area 12 and crashed headfirst into the chest of Hatake Kakashi, who had appeared in front of him a second earlier. They tumbled to the ground in a pile. "Naruto, I had no idea you were so desperate to see me again!"

The ANBU rose to his feet and dusted himself off. He then proceeded to pick Naruto up by the back of his collar. Naruto flailed for a moment and then pouted. "What do you want?"

"The Hokage wants to see you."

Naruto twitched. This wasn't going to be pretty. "I don't suppose I could convince you to let me walk on my own?"

"No."

The march up to the Hokage's office was carried out in silence, with Naruto quickly giving up on any chance of escape after Kakashi demonstrated his accuracy with a kunai by splitting an apple 100 meters away. The Kyuubi's container opted to spend the time on the way up desperately searching for a way to excuse his actions to the Hokage.

He was rapidly reaching the conclusion that he was screwed when they arrived at the Hokage's office. Kakashi tossed him into a chair and gave him a look that indicated making a break for it was a really bad idea. "Naruto… What am I going to do with you?"

The Hokage gave Naruto a piercing look. "Do you know what you have done? You have vandalized one of Konoha's greatest monuments. The Hokage's are the heroes of this village. To show such disrespect to them is unthinkable."

Naruto struggled for a moment to come up with a decent excuse. "I… I- I'm sorry."

This clearly wasn't going to go well for him, so he might as well get off easy by playing contrite. The Hokage's eyebrows shot up. Naruto had never shown a bone of contrition before in his life. The old man clearly thought it was odd that Naruto would be showing any sorrow for his actions at all. "You will have to clean it off, you know."

"No problem." Naruto grinned slightly. "The paint should start to disappear in an hour or so. I used chakra-based paint."

"Well then we'll have to find something else for you to clean, then." The Hokage said, with a gentle smile. "However, there is a more important issue to address right now. It was the reason that you were brought here in the first place."

"Are you going to make me a Jounin?"

Sarutobi smiled gently. "Not exactly… However, this test _does_ have to do with your rank. We need to know if you are able to keep up in the academy, or if you will need to be moved back a year."

Naruto fought the impulse to laugh. His act was apparently too good. They still expected the incompetent, ill-prepared boy who had flunked every course he took at the academy. Well… They were to be sadly disappointed. "What is the test?"

"The test comes in two parts. The first part is a demonstration of accuracy with a throwing weapon of your choice. The second part is a demonstration of one of the three basic jutsu. Normally we'd test your physical abilities as well, but your dash across town was an adequate demonstration of those abilities."

Naruto pretended to think for a minute. "And there's no way for me to become a Genin from this test?"

Sarutobi looked at him skeptically. "If you pass it flawlessly, I will give you a jutsu to learn. If you can learn it in an hour, I will let you become a Genin."

The Hokage looked satisfied, clearly believing that Naruto would not, _could_ not possibly succeed at his challenge. _'He's in for the shock of his life…'_

"Name a target." Naruto smirked. "Make sure it's small."

The Hokage walked to the window and opened it. He pointed to a lone oak tree, about 20 meters away. "Do you see the swing there?"

Naruto nodded. "Strike the knot where it is tied to the tree. If you sever the knot, I will consider it a perfect shot. You may have three tries."

_'So he's willing to take me seriously…' _Mused Naruto. It had seemed unlikely that the old man would take his challenge seriously, but this was indeed a difficult target. _'Too bad I'm going to succeed in just one shot.'_

Naruto stuck a hand in his weapons pouch, and withdrew a senbon-needle. While most shinobi preferred to use heavier weapons; primarily kunai and shuriken, Naruto's time at the Nakayama Monastery had taught him that power alone was not enough. Senbon were lighter, cheaper, easier to carry in bulk, and more accurate than traditional ninja weaponry. An expert could do as much damage with a well-placed senbon as they could with a kunai.

The Hokage made no comment as Naruto sized up the target. It was certainly not a clear shot. At a distance of 20 meters it was going to require that he put some strength behind the throw. The knot was cleanly visible, but there was enough wind that some correction was necessary. Naruto brought the senbon behind his ear and threw.

The shot flew true, striking the edge of the knot. Naruto winced. He had meant to hit the knot dead-on. It was clear his skills were not quite up to the level he had expected. The knot slowly frayed, before peeling apart with a snap, sending the swing plummeting to the ground. The Hokage regarded Naruto with surprise for a moment before nodding his head. "Very well thrown. The next part of the test is to perform the three traditional Academy Jutsu. I assume you have some familiarity with Bunshin no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu, and Henge no Jutsu?"

Naruto nodded his assent. "Of course! The monks used those to teach basic jutsu-control to every monk at the Monastery."

Naruto moved his hands into the tiger seal, and focused his chakra tightly. "Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Six Bunshin formed in a large cloud of smoke. The Hokage gestured for him to continue. With a grimace on his face Naruto made the seals for Kawarimi. He pulled a senbon out and threw it in the air. As the needle arced back down towards Naruto's head, he activated the jutsu…

The Hokage's hat was impaled by the falling senbon, as Naruto crouched down upon the skull of the military leader of the Village Hidden in the Leafs. The old man blinked for a moment, before looking at his hat. "Naruto!"

The boy grinned sheepishly before hopping down off of the Hokage's head and passing the Sandaime his hat. _'Henge no Jutsu, eh… He's going to be sorry he asked for that.'_

The Hokage nodded for Naruto to continue, and the Jinchuuriki quickly conjured up his chakra. "Henge no Jutsu!"

Naruto transformed into a nude woman, with smoke covering just enough to keep him appropriate. The Hokage fell from his chair, a gout of blood rushing from his nose. "Did I kill him?"

Kakashi glanced up from his book, before joining the Hokage in unconsciousness. Naruto sighed, and reversed the jutsu. He walked over to the Hokage and prodded the man with his toe. "So? Do I pass?"

Sarutobi picked himself up off of the ground and sat back down in his chair. "That was a very… Effective attack indeed. You clearly are at least up to the level of your year in technique and preparation. I will offer you an hour in which to learn a new technique."

"Oh! What is it? Is it a super-huge fireball? Is it an ultimate assassination technique?"

The wizened old man shook his head. "Nothing so dazzling at all. The technique I want you to learn is a forbidden jutsu that your large chakra capacity is perfect for. The technique is the famous 'Kage Bunshin no jutsu'."

The old Naruto would have been disappointed at the mention of a clone technique, rather than a huge explosive. The new Naruto was exited at the strategic advantage an advanced Bunshin might offer. He decided, just this once, that he would deviate from the act, to show the old man he was capable of tactical decisions. "Ok! Let's see it!"

Sarutobi produced a scroll from under his desk, and drew out a large scroll. "A Kage Bunshin is a Bunshin that has had more chakra put into it, making it temporarily solid. It won't stand up to much of a beating, but it is stronger than a plain old Bunshin."

"Sounds easy enough."

Naruto's remark made the Hokage chuckle. "The hard part is that you have to impart enough of your own intelligence into it to make it do more than merely copy your motions. To do this, you have to control the chakra going into the clone so that it focuses into the nervous system."

Naruto nodded. "I have an hour to do this. May I go to a training ground to practice?"

Before the Hokage had even finished his affirmative, Naruto had left the room.

- - - - - - - - - -

Naruto had finished learning Kage Bunshin no Jutsu in about 15 minutes. After ten minutes of practicing the jutsu, Naruto had returned to the scroll that the Sandaime had given him. With 35 minutes remaining he had turned his attention to learning the next jutsu on the scroll. The jutsu was the "Kage Buki no Jutsu", which would create clones of a weapon while it was in flight (when the correct weapon was called). After the Kage Bunshin it was fairly easy, and Naruto still had ten minutes to go back to the Hokage's office.

He walked into the office to find the Hokage in deep discussion with Kakashi. "I felt it was a wonderful book! It was so wonderfully written, and the characters were so convincing… And like most of Jiraiya's books it's er… More adult scenes were vividly written."

The Hokage nodded as Naruto walked in. Naruto fought down the urge to retch. He found the perverted books that the ANBU Captain read to be repulsive. He thought that that sort of book was totally inappropriate for old men. Heck, even little kids should have more maturity than to get their jollies reading that sort of stuff. "Oi! Perverted geezer! I'm back!"

The Hokage case a frustrated glance at Naruto. "Did you learn it?"

"Of course! I'm the next Hokage after all. See?" He quickly made the hand-seals for Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. "It wasn't even difficult!"

The Hokage's eyebrows shot skywards. "I must admit I'm very impressed, Naruto. Clearly your time at the Monastery was very good for you. Congratulations: you are now a Genin of the Leaf!"

"Oh yeah! I'm good!"

The Hokage gave him a smile. "In two weeks the Academy will run the end of the year tests. After that you will be assigned your rookie team. Until then, spend your time training for when you begin missions."

Naruto was still smiling broadly as he walked home, whistling out of key. He was on the path to showing the citizens of Konoha just how wrong they had been about him. The Hokage had even forgotten to punish him for his prank (which was quickly fading off of the face of the monument, making the Hokages look more like clowns in the light of the setting sun).

In fact there was only one thing wrong with the world. The glares.

No matter where he went, the Villagers were glaring at him, hate and fear mixing with their prejudices to make them even crueler than before. He leaned back, his hands behind his neck, and looked up at the sky. _'I wonder… How will they feel when they realize that they were wrong about me all along?'_

He pushed back the wave of doubt in his head which was screaming that they never did, and walked into his Apartment. Looking at the unnaturally clean room, he sighed. "Welcome home, Naruto…"

And what a welcome it had been.

**Author's Notes: **There we go. That's Chapter 2 down. It only took me three times the amount of time that Chapter One did. I'm afraid that updates will occur rarely for a while now, as school is starting up on Tuesday. I'll still write, but I won't have so much free time on my hands. I feel fairly good about the work for the most part, but I think that it might be a bit terse and too quick to move from subject to subject.

Just a couple points of notice:

Naruto may seem unusually, or absurdly strong. This is not the case. He would have been able to make the throw that I described in the original series. In the original series it only took him a few hours to learn Kage Bunshin, and Kage Buki is very similar. All in all he _is _more powerful, but not significantly.

Kage Buki is not an original jutsu. I just gave a broader name to a series of more specific jutsu we have seen in the manga. The Hokage uses a similar technique against Orochimaru, and Sasuke uses a technique with a similar name against Zabuza (although he, being less powerful, only creates one copy). It is on the forbidden scroll for the same reason Kage Bunshin is: It is a jutsu that requires a great deal of energy.

I've seen the last name Kazama given for the Hokage by a couple credible sources. I didn't make it up. For some time Wiki had it as his name. Hence, it's not my choice.

Other than that, I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to read it. I want to thank everyone who reviewed the past chapter.

Later,

Smertios


	3. Chapter 3: When I Get Old

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Beginning Notes: **I've had a few people ask if Naruto will be on team 7, 8, or 10. I'd like to clarify that he can be on _none_ of these teams, since it is chronologically a year before Naruto graduates in the real story. His team? Well… You'll see soon enough. seems to hate my formatting, so if it looks ugly… Well; at least I tried, eh?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. I am writing purely for my own pleasure, and I will receive no recompense for my work, excepting for positive reviews. As such, this is protected speech.

**Chapter 3: When I Get Old**

'_What will it be like when I get old  
will I still hop on my bike, and ride around town  
will I still want to be someone, and not just sit around  
I don't want to be like other adults  
cause they've already died'_

_The Descendants: When I Get Old_

**- - - - - - - - - -**

**(Two Weeks Later)**

_'And if I assign Tenten to the same group, the two taijutsu experts will have ranged backup and cover, giving them time to close with an enemy.'_ Thought Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi. _'However, that means that I have to give them Maito Gai, so that Rock Lee has a teacher who can keep him at the same level as other Genin.'_

It was the horrible time of the year when he, as Hokage, made the single most important decisions that would ever be made about many of his Genin's lives. He was choosing teams and instructors. An unbalanced year-group could force possible shinobi to spend another year at the academy, often driving them out of service. The wrong Jounin-sensei could cause the death of his entire team before they reached their full potential.

This year was particularly hard, as he had 10 graduating shinobi. He had made 3 well-balanced groups of three, but he still had one remaining Genin. Naruto just didn't fit into the equation. He was, unquestionably, in the upper half of the graduating class, but Sarutobi didn't know what the boy's style of combat was. _'Worse yet, I have no Genin to pair him with.'_

In the old man's crystal ball, Uzumaki Naruto was pigging out on Ramen at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. The boy was going to be powerful, that much was certain, but the question waswhich strengths he would draw from. Sarutobi knew that if he graduated anyone from the year below, it would unbalance the previous year's students, putting them at risk. However, if he brought in older students, the Kyuubi's container would have to fit into a team of experienced shinobi as a Rookie Genin. There was only one true option. Sarutobi would have to graduate two powerful Academy students to join a team and make sure that the team didn't promote to Chuunin until he was sure the other teams could deal with the hardest Genin missions. Naruto wouldn't be happy, but Sarutobi intended to balance the slight with an honor.

He would make sure that the team Naruto was on was on the fast path to success. After all, Konoha would need new Sannin, and the current ones showed no interest in returning to Konoha soon. Naruto had the massive chakra coils and backup power that the Fourth's seal had been designed to create, as it slowly drained the Kyuubi. He would easily be able to use assault-class jutsu, and his quickly healing factor (one that had been endlessly useful in the past, when the boy had been injured in class), would allow him to fight at close quarters. That made him a possible candidate for the position of Frog Sannin, a position which consisted of working in the Intelligence community, and being in charge of the 12 guardians of Konoha. Now the only question remaining was who else deserved the honor.

The first choice was obvious. There was a standalone genius amongst the next year down who was more than ready to graduate. Uchiha Sasuke had power, skill, and determination. Sarutobi worried sometimes that the boy would go too far in the name of revenge, but perhaps if he were put in a team where he could grow quickly, he would remain in control. His genius technique, and powerful bloodline would make him fit the role of Snake Sannin, the Sannin in charge of technique development and assassinations perfectly.

The second choice, however, was not so obvious. There were a few candidates for the position of Slug Sannin. The Slug Sannin was nominally in charge of the Medic-Nin of Konoha, and generally known for their Taijutsu and amazing Chakra control. Haruno Sakura was the highest scoring Kunoichi in the class, on academic issues. Her Chakra control and genjutsu were well above average. However, Sakura's Taijutsu was the weakest in her class, falling behind every Shinobi but Yamanaka Ino in physical combat. She was also emotionally unstable and obsessive over the Uchiha Prodigy. Hyuuga Hinata had Chakra control second only to Sakura's (no doubt due to her bloodline), and a powerful Taijutsu style. Her academic marks were fairly good, and she had the backing of a powerful clan. However, her self-confidence was lacking, and her shy nature often caused her combat-skill to be disproportionate to her actual skill-level.

Then again, no one could stay shy if they were around the force of nature that was Uzumaki Naruto for a long time. Hinata's weaknesses could well be offset by the encouragement of the young Jinchuuriki. Sakura, however, was likely to be annoyed by the hyperactive blonde. That settled it, then. Hyuuga Hinata would round out the third part of the group. They would be officially treated as another Genin team, but he would make sure that they received the best available Jounin-Sensei. It was his hope that in two years they would be able to take the Chuunin test and move on to training with those Sannin who he convinced to return to Konoha for long enough to start an apprentice on the right path. If that failed, he would train them himself.

Now… Who to assign as their Sensei? Maito Gai was out, as he would have to work with Rock Lee to help the boy overcome his disability. Yuhi Kurenai was not of the level he needed in a Sensei. She had just been made a Jounin, and would be ready to teach a team the next year. Sarutobi Asuma, though powerful, was not the kind of teacher this team would need. He was good at taking very weak Genin and teaching them to use their power strategically. He would be wasted on such a powerful team. Few of the other Jounin were gifted or young enough to teach a team like this one. That left him with only one option. _'Kakashi isn't going to be happy with me.'_

- - - - - - - - - -

**(The Next Morning)**

Hatake Kakashi had not removed his ANBU mask in almost seven years. It had been practically fused to his face since he had become ANBU Captain. Only that morning he had removed the mask, and replaced it with his old face-covering and headband-over-the-eye fashion. He wasn't sure how he had felt about removing the old mask, but he was a Shinobi and he followed orders.

That morning he had received a commission from the Hokage to return to the Jounin and take up the leadership of a Genin team. It didn't bother him too much, since he wasn't going to let them _pass,_ but the question hadn't even been brought up since his transfer to the ANBU. _'Obito… Do you think this team will be the one?'_

He wasn't holding his breath, but he knew some day a team would come along which was worth teaching. They would understand teamwork, friendship, and the world of the Shinobi, and he would make sure they understand that the team was more important that the mission they were on.

This wasn't it, though. Of that much he was sure. A team made up of a hyperactive blonde with unquestionable egomania, a revenge-obsessed child prodigy with a massive chip on his shoulder, and the heir to Konoha's most powerful who suffered from a serious self hate problem was a team that was going nowhere. Fast. Worse yet, all three of them had been graduated early. As soon as he had read the report on the team members he had gotten his ANBU mask back out of storage and put on his counter for later that afternoon.

They were probably announcing the teams now. That meant that Kakashi had at least four hours before he was going to show up and meet the team. He was supposed to be there within 30 minutes, but Kakashi believed in letting people stew a little bit before he showed up. It kept Genin from getting too used to his presence (and therefore dependant upon him), and meant that the most desirable missions were gone by the time a team reached the Hokage, meaning the team had to learn to like awful missions.

Kakashi knelt by the memorial stone and found his fallen comrade's name. "I never want anyone to have to go through that again."

Watching Obito die had driven into Kakashi just how terrible a Shinobi's life was for a child. They were taught to reject their own emotions, taught to kill before they could truly understand the repercussions of doing so, and expected to watch their teammates and friends die early, violent deaths. There were two reasons that there were so few Jounin in the world. The first was that many quit to deal with the trauma of a life of combat. The second was that the survival rate for a first C-Rank mission was 25 percent. The survival rate for the first A – Rank mission was 10 percent.

Kakashi had lost a teammate before he realized how important Obito was to him. The boy had been obnoxious little brother, comrade-in-arms, and best friend all in one. When team Arashi had fallen apart, Kakashi had sworn that he would allow no other group to go through that again. That was why he had refused to pass a single team. It was too dangerous for them.

By the time most Jounin reached their rank, they had developed serious mental conditions. A combination of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Paranoia, and the horror of watching loved ones died ensured that most Jounin were just plain strange. Maito Gai had developed a coping disorder which caused him to live in an alternate version of reality in which Shinobi were honorable warriors who did only good. Mitarashi Anko had become a true sociopath who didn't care if others suffered, and even enjoyed watching death and destruction. Sarutobi Asuma had become a chain smoker whose sanity revolved around having a cigarette in his mouth.

Kakashi thought himself quite lucky. His mental crutch was a mild-perversion and a desire to emulate a fallen comrade entirely. Neither of those was a particularly destructive habit to have. As long as dreams didn't come back to haunt him, he was a fairly stable person.

It was a disturbing thing to know that training a team meant knowing you were condemning a group of children to insanity and suffering, but they had chosen their own path. If they were lucky they would end up like Jiraiya or Sarutobi, and suffer from extreme perversion. If they were unlucky they would end up like Orochimaru, driven by a need to make death itself die, with no compunctions about who was hurt in the process.

Part of the flaw was trusting an insane person to teach children to be sane. It certainly seemed to be an awfully insane system. That was no surprise, since a Hokage, arguably one of the most psychologically overstressed people in Konoha, had created it (only the liaison to the Hyuuga Clan had it worse).

Kakashi shrugged. "It can't be helped."

- - - - - - - - - -

Naruto smiled blandly as he walked down Konoha's largest street, hands resting on his hips, eyes fixed ahead of him. Inside him nerves did war with common sense in a battle for control of his senses. What if he got a bad team? What if his Sensei was incompetent? What if Sarutobi changed his mind?

As these wild worries whirled about Naruto's head, he heard a man speaking to a nearby shopkeeper. "The Hokage must be desperate to make that _thing_ a Shinobi."

"Crazy old man." Naruto quickly hurried away, but he didn't manage to avoid the shopkeepers closing statement. "Oh well… The thing will die soon enough."

Naruto fought down the urge to pummel the man and turned down a side street, heading towards the academy. He had learned a great deal in the two weeks since his graduation. Having access to scrolls on advanced tactics and bloodlines had given him a good look into the parts of shinobi life that he had not had a great deal of insight into during his stay at the Monastery. He felt almost ready for the responsibility of being a Genin.

The Academy was much like he remembered it; a fairly drab building which was very clean and just modern enough to look up-to-date and just old enough to not cost the village more than it absolutely had to every time the building had to be rebuilt. Naruto felt himself tense as he walked into the building, voices ringing from his past.

'_Stupid Boy! Where is your book?"_

'_A true Shinobi doesn't need pranks!'_

'_My parents hate you!'_

As Naruto shook his head as if to shake the specter of his past from his skull, he could have sworn he heard a deep laughter in his skull. _'I've always wondered what going crazy would feel like.'_

A voice called from behind him, calling him to spin. A lanky boy in fairly regular Shinobi gear had just walked through the entrance to the Academy. Naruto fought down the urge to laugh. The boy's bowl-cut hair and massive eyebrows had the synergistic effect of making him look more like a plastic-surgery victim than a Shinobi. Naruto grinned slightly and cheekily said, "Sorry, did you say something, Big-Eyebrows?"

The aforementioned eyebrows twitched. "I haven't seen you at the academy before." The boy gave him a giant smile, making his teeth gleam. "I shall introduce myself first, however, since that is polite. I am Rock Lee, the Number-One Most Dedicated Shinobi of my year!"

"Uzumaki Naruto. I attended here long ago."

Lee's eyes widened in shock for a moment, but they quickly returned to their normal size. "I heard you had left, but I did not know you had returned."

Naruto was mildly confused by the response (after all, he had always felt invisible amongst his peers). "I returned about two weeks ago. I have been on an extended training trip."

Lee turned to him and smiled so broadly that Naruto worried the boy's face would snap in half, and stuck his thumb up. "Then you must have become strong! I shall spar with you some time, and test the strength of your youth!"

"Uh… Sure, I guess…" Naruto felt sweat drip down his face. This boy was _weird_. "I'll see you later. I need to get my team assignment."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Hokage-Sama, I'm telling you, they just aren't ready!"

"Iruka…" The Hokage looked at the young man who was reading his class listings. "I know that they are young, but they are needed."

Iruka pounded his hand into the Hokage's desk and, practically snarled. _'If only he were so effective at combat as he is at protecting his students.'_

"Young? They aren't just _young_, they're _children!_ Sasuke is barely sane as it is. His brother's death and his isolation have prevented him from learning teamwork at all. Hinata doesn't even believe she _can _fight. Her lack of confidence will _kill _her in combat! On top of that, you are grouping them with a total outlier, whose skill and experience are unknown! Naruto, no matter how good a kid he is, could be totally wrong for the group. Sasuke tolerates Hinata, who mostly ignores him, but adding an unstable element could drive Sasuke to outright animosity, or cause Hinata to retreat even further!"

Sarutobi put his head in his hands. "Do you honestly believe that by spending more time in the academy they will change? Uchiha has chosen his path, and the only thing we can do is help him finish it in such a way that does not harm ourselves. Hinata will grow into her own confidence as she separates herself from her peers and has to stand on her own. Naruto… Will form the backbone of the group. His energy and enthusiasm should give the other two a chance to open up a little bit and create a strong bond."

Iruka sighed and glanced down at the list. "Their group is the only one I have any qualms about. Gai's team should work well, although Lee and Neji have never gotten along. Both are too dedicated to let rivalry get in the way of service. Ryoko's team won't even pass their first test. Ayame's team won't even bother to take the test… But Kakashi… I know nothing about him. He is the captain of the ANBU, I know, but beyond that, he is a mystery."

"I agree with your analysis of the other teams, but I can assure you that Hatake Kakashi, for all of his faults, is the only Jounin capable of training such a team," Said Sarutobi, with an expression of gravity. "He is the student of the Fourth and his particular brand of teaching is exactly what this team needs."

_'That is, if I can convince him to actually give his all to this team.' _Kakashi's bad habits, especially his laziness, would have to be pushed aside in the name of intense training for his team.

The Academy's best disciplinarian adopted an expression of helplessness. "Sir… I know I can't say anything to change your mind, but I wish you would reconsider."

The Third just shook his head. "I'm sorry, Iruka, but Konoha needs them."

Iruka's shoulders slumped. "Please take care of them, then. I would hate to see any of my students killed needlessly."

As the Chuunin walked out of Sarutobi's office, the old man spoke again, "Don't worry, Iruka, they are in the best hands available."

- - - - - - - - - -

The hard wood of the bench thudded loudly as Naruto set himself down on it. Behind him, a young man with black hair growled indignantly. Naruto shot the boy a look of derision. "Can I help you?"

The boy smirked. "You can get lost, moron."

Naruto felt his hackles rise, but he just grinned slightly. "No can do. See, they're assigning the teams today, and I have to be here to receive my assignment."

"Who the hell are you, anyway," Said the boy, with some annoyance. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"Normally it is considered polite to give your own name first."

Black-hair's smirk grew, if that was possible, and he replied with a superior tone, "Uchiha Sasuke."

_'Uchiha, eh? No wonder he has the attitude. I suppose I would too, if I was the much-worshipped lone survivor of Konoha's most powerful clan.' _Naruto had learned of the Uchiha Massacre, and all it entailed, from the monks as part of his extensive lessoning.

"Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!"

The boy snorted derisively. "Fat chance. A little moron like you? The Hokage is the most powerful person in the village!"

They had drawn a small crowd; most of who were glaring at Naruto and muttering things to the Uchiha survivor along the lines of "Kick his ass!"

Naruto glared intensely at Sasuke, who glared right back. The crowd, mostly composed of girls, seemed to be holding its breath with anticipation. Then, a boy behind Naruto turned around, striking Naruto in the back. Naruto tipped forward and fell towards Sasuke, whose eyes widened in fear. The room erupted in outrage as their lips ran into one another. Naruto leapt back and began spitting in disgust, as Sasuke did the same. "Ew! Gross!"

Then Naruto noticed the crowd.

- - - - - - - - -

**(20 Minutes Later)**

Naruto oozed down in his chair, and closed his eyes, wishing that he would just vanish. His aching head echoed that sentiment with a shooting pain from the top of his forehead. Beside him, a concerned girl with black hair was looking at him with some trepidation. "A- Are you sure you're OK?"

Naruto nodded and remained silent.

Iruka chose that moment to glance around the room, and his eyes landed on a bruised and battered Naruto. "Well. It looks like we're all here. Good; we can begin."

Iruka began reading names off of a list. "Team one, Ameko Yuri, Kita Eiji, and Inuzuka Masaso. Team two, Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee. Team Three, Uchiha Sasuke-"

_'I hope they don't put me on that dick's team."_ Thought Naruto, praying for luck.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

_'No! Why me?'_

"And Hyuuga Hinata."

Beside him, Hinata felt a wide smile spread across her face. _'What luck!'_

- - - - - - - - - -

**Author's Notes:**

Well, at least it only took me three weeks, right?

Yeah, I'll try to do the next one faster, but no promises. I'm constrained to working on the weekends because of homework load. This makes writing significantly more difficult than it otherwise would be. Sorry.

Originally the plan for this chapter was for it to be another 1.5k words longer with two other scenes in it. However, it looks like I'll be doing the rest of the chapter in the next chapter, and bumping everything else back with it. I felt like it was more important to put out a chapter than it was to make this chapter as long as my plan called for. I'll try to fit everything in the next one.

I'd feel less guilty if I was like the really good authors who put out one 25,000 word chapter every month, but I'm afraid that I'm no where near to being that efficient.

Sorry,

Smertios

(Any and all thoughts, recriminations, and plain old complaints are welcome.)


	4. Chapter 4: Win Or Lose

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Author's Note: **Here we go. For those of you who were wishing for some violence, your wait is over. Without further ado, here is the bell test.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. I don't make money for my writing. Lawsuits would not only be frivolous, they'd be groundless. Have a nice day.

- - - - - - - - - -

Chapter Four: Win or Lose 

Go on my son my life is win or lose  
Go on my son I've got a right to choose  
I wanna win  
I don't wanna lose – Sham 69

- - - - - - - - - -

It is common wisdom amongst shinobi that a shinobi's line of work includes hours and hours of boredom, punctuated by a few moments of sheer and utter terror. For that reason, one of the most important skills that a Shinobi could learn was patience.

Naruto, however, had never really learned it. "We've been waiting in here for 3 hours! Where _is_ he?"

Sasuke snorted at him as he paced by. "Just sit down and wait, loser."

"Who are you calling a loser?"

"You, obviously!"

Hinata shifted uncomfortably in her chair, looking back and forth between Naruto and Sasuke. "P-Please, c-calm down."

Naruto felt a wash of guilt. Here, he had been focused only on his own discomfort, and he had caused an innocent bystander distress. "Sorry."

"Hn."

With that, Naruto plopped himself down in his seat, and turned to introduce himself to the third member of the team. "Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

The girl flushed. "H-Hyuuga H-Hinata."

"I remember you! You were the shy, dark, weird girl!" Naruto exclaimed. As her face began to fall, he realized his error. "Er… I mean… Not in a bad way, or anything! In my experience, shy, dark, weird people are way cooler than other people!"

She turned bright red, and began pushing her pointer fingers together. Naruto mentally wiped his brow. That had been far too close for his liking. Not that he had lied, or anything. The monks at the Nakayama Monastery had been shy, dark, and weird, for the most part as well (Naruto suspected it came from spending so much time on their own).

"Feh. I don't know what's more pathetic: your excuse or the fact that she bought it."

Naruto shot a glare at Sasuke. "Did anyone ask you?"

The boy turned the other way with a small growl and said nothing. Naruto grinned and added one point to his name on his mental scoreboard. "Maybe he isn't going to show up. Maybe we should just leave."

"M-my father says that Kakashi-sensei is l-late to everything."

"What kind of ninja is always late? Lateness can cause the failure of a critical mission!" Naruto felt a rush of disappointment rush through him. Kakashi had seemed fairly cool to him.

Hinata flinched at Naruto's frustrated exclamation, but straightened up and, as though repeating something memorized from a book. "Hatake Kakashi is the 12th strongest ninja currently serving in Konoha's Ninja Corps. His strengths derive from his use of the Sharingan to amass an unequaled jutsu library. This has earned him the title 'Copy-Cat Kakashi'."

Naruto felt his jaw drop. "Wow, Hinata! How did you remember that?"

At this point, Hinata's face was bright red, giving her the appearance of a ripe tomato. "A-All members of my clan are required to memorize a list of im-important Shinobi."

"Sharingan? How can he have Sharingan? Only members of the Uchiha clan can use that bloodline!" Sasuke had turned around and was looking at Hinata intently.

"I-I d-don't know."

Sasuke sneered and returned to facing the other way. Naruto made a face at his back, surprising a giggle out of Hinata. At that point, the door banged open, and Kakashi entered the room. Naruto stood up and pointed his finger at Kakashi. "You're late!"

The gray-haired Jounin just shrugged. "An orphanage was burning, so I stopped to save the orphans from the flames."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah right."

"My first impression of you is fairly neutral. Meet me on the roof and we'll see how long it takes you to lose my respect."

With that, their Jounin-Sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the three genin sitting in an empty classroom once again.

- - - - - - - - - -

Birds chirped cheerfully in the branches of the tall oaks surrounding Konoha's Ninja Academy, glorying in the cooling air of the late afternoon. The wind whistled through the treetops, cooling Kakashi as it passed. He sat back slightly, and cast an eye towards his watch. _'It should take them another five minutes to get up here.'_

Running up the walls of the Academy had given him a head start on his annoyed students. Hopefully by the time they got to the roof, they would be tired enough to sit down without complaining at all. Now all that was left was to wait.

Five minutes later, Naruto slammed through the door to the roof, panting hard. "Kakashi-Sensei! We've found you!"

Behind him, Sasuke rolled his eyes. ""He told us where he was going to be, dimwit!"

"Shut up, you arrogant dick!"

"Ignorant moron!"

"Self-impor-"

Kakashi stepped in between the arguing Genin. "What kind of teammates start their friendship by insulting one another?"

The boys paused, and looked away from one another. Kakashi directed them all to sit on the roof in a small circle. "Now then… Introduction! You go first, Blondie, since you're so happy to talk."

"Okay!" Naruto sat up a little straighter, and started bouncing slightly. "I am Uzumaki Naruto! I like to train and to eat Ramen! I hope to become Hokage, and to gain the respect of Konoha! I don't like arrogant people!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's last comment. "Uchiha Sasuke. I train. I have no dreams, but I have an intention. I will kill someone."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. _'No surprise, I suppose. Itachi destroyed everything he lived for. All the same, he could end up becoming a threat to Konoha if he felt we were in the way of his goal."_

"I-I am Hyuuga Hinata. I like making tea and reading. M-My dream is to become a good head of the Hyuuga Clan, and to make my F-father proud of me. I d-don't like people who yell at one another."

Naruto winced at that comment. Once again, he and Sasuke had been causing their third teammate discomfort. "What about you, Kakashi-sensei?"

The masked shinobi shrugged. "I am Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes or dislikes. Hmm… I have dreams."

_'He said a lot,' _thought Naruto. _'For telling us so little'_

Kakashi rose and began digging through a pocket. "Well… That's it for today. Tomorrow we will be taking out first steps as a team."

"Ooh! Ooh! What are we going to do? Kill a dragon? Learn how to blow someone up with one finger?" Naruto bounced up and down, excitement filling his eyes. "Maybe we can rescue a Daimyo's daughter!"

Kakashi laughed. "No. Tomorrow we are going to be doing survival exercises."

Sasuke frowned. "We did those in the academy."

"Not like this," Kakashi said, in a menacing tone. "Hmm… Should I tell you? If I did you might not even show up. Tomorrow's exercises will be a test to see whether or not you become Genin! They have a 33 failure rate."

Hinata, who had remained silent up until now, spoke up. "S-Sensei. We passed the academy test. Doesn't that already make us Genin?"

The Copy Nin shook his head. "Hardly. All that test proves is that you have learned enough from the academy to BS your way through a test. Tomorrow's test will judge whether or not you have the skills needed to be a real ninja!"

"What a waste." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What will this test entail?"

Kakashi produced three cards from his pocket and handed them to his students. "There you are. The test begins tomorrow morning at 4:00. Be there or fail. Don't bother eating breakfast. You'll only throw up."

With that, Kakashi disappeared once again, and left his three Genin standing on the rooftop. Naruto suddenly let out a scream. "It- it's all in Kanji! I can't read these!"

- - - - - - - - - -

**(The Next Morning)**

"And um… Kyuu… Shu… If we fail, it will lead to a crime? Huh?"

"Naruto-kun, that's Menshoku…"

Naruto scratched his head, and smiled at Hinata. "Yeah, 'if we fail, it will lead to a dismissal.' That makes much more sense. You know kanji really well, Hinata!"

Hinata blushed bright red. "It w-wasn't that hard, Naruto-kun."

Sasuke, on the other hand, was growing more and more annoyed. "Only an idiot can't tell a difference between the Kanji for evil with the Kanji for excuse!"

To his shock, Naruto simply held his tongue, and turned back to the now translated instructions. _'Apparently he doesn't want to cause her any more distress. Hn, who cares about her? She's just weak!'_

Naruto began reading the translated paper aloud. "Tomorrow morning, meet at Training Ground 7 for a test. This test will consist of a practical evaluation of the skills necessary for you to become a Shinobi. Please show up on time, and fully prepared for a field mission. Failure to show up on time will cause you to be dismissed. If you fail, it will lead to your dismissal."

Hinata sighed, and looked at the note. "All of that archaic language for nothing…"

Sasuke harrumphed and began pacing. Naruto shrugged and leaned back on the bench, content to let everything be for a moment. As he began to relax, a sudden whoosh of air brought him back to the present. "Yo."

Hatake Kakashi stood next to him, one of his perverted books in one hand, and two bells in the other. To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke's control snapped first. The dark-haired genius turned a frustrated gaze, and said, in a deadpan voice, "You're late."

Kakashi shrugged. "An old lady-"

"Yeah right… We've heard it." Naruto glared at their Sensei. "C'mon. Let's get this tested started."

Hinata and Sasuke nodded in agreement, the former looking nervous and the latter looking very frustrated. Kakashi put his book away, and his one visible eye curved upwards in a smile. "Alright! The rules of this test are simple. I have two bells, right here. To pass this test you must take them from me. If you do not take them from me, you will be tied to that rock while the others eat lunch, and then sent back to the Academy."

Naruto adopted a foxy grin of determination. "Alright! This should be a synch!"

"Do not be so sure, Naruto," Said Kakashi, tying the bells to his belt. "You will need to come at me with killing force if you hope to get a bell… And you are the least formally taught shinobi here. I would not be too confident in your shoes."

"Get on with it."

Kakashi smirked at his student's arrogance, and pulled a cloth from his pocket. "When this cloth strikes the ground we begin."

He let go, and his students disappeared, scattering into the nearby underbrush. _'Which one will attack first? The Uchiha will wait things out, and the Hyuuga is likely to seek assistance…Naruto seems to be the likely candidate.'_

At that moment, Naruto sprung from the underbrush, diving for Kakashi's side. Kakashi sidestepped, and the boy went tumbling to the ground. "I suppose I should give you credit for at least trying to use stealth."

Kakashi settled into a comfortable fighting stance. Naruto, on the other hand, crouched far lower than was normal for a Tekken user. "Well, old man, credit will be needless once I have one of those bells."

"Arrogance is a useless trait for a Shinobi. It will lead you to your ruin." Kakashi's hand snaked into his kunai pouch, and he withdrew his book. "Shinobi Lesson Number One: Taijutsu; the art of physical combat."

The boy charge towards him, hands raised. His form, however, was awful. His movements were clumsy and his defenses were sloppy. _'How could someone with such poor taijutsu become a genin? He was better than this when he ran away from me before.'_

Naruto's ill-prepared charge concluded, as he punched out towards Kakashi's chest. Kakashi pushed the blow away quickly, and returned half of his concentration to the pages in front of him. Naruto growled in frustration, and attempted to use his momentum to send a ground-spinning side-kick into Kakashi's knee, but Kakashi merely jumped over his feeble assault. "Your form leaves something to be desired."

"Shut up, old man!" Naruto shot back to his feet and slipped back into his sloppy stance. "I've only just begun!"

Kakashi gave a small shrug and made a beckoning motion. "Shinobi Rule 64: Talk does not win a fight. The great prove themselves with their actions. The weak stall and brag."

"Why you!"

Naruto lowered a shoulder, and attempted to bull-rush his Sensei. However, Konoha's Copy Nin was much faster than he. Kakashi stepped out of the way, and then moved behind Naruto, in a crouch. "I believe 'never show your foe your back' is also a Shinobi rule, Naruto."

Kakashi formed the tiger seal and put on a face of concentration. "Now you must face the cost of your arrogance. Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu no Ougi: Sennen Goroshi!"

- - - - - - - - - -

Hinata watched Naruto fight Kakashi with growing dread. The man was far too powerful for Naruto to even have a chance of defeating him. The object of her affections was going to be beaten, and beaten badly. "N-Naruto…"

Kakashi appeared behind Naruto, and she gave a gasp. _'The tiger seal? That means he's going to use a powerful Fire jutsu! He wouldn't do that! It might kill Naruto.'_

The man drove the seal into Naruto's rectum, and a hand lightly tapped Hinata's shoulder. "Aaah-"

"Shh!"

Her assailant covered her mouth, and she whirled around to face him. "N- Naruto! B-but then… Who is down there?"

He grinned mischievously and made a seal jokingly. "I asked a few friends of mine to help out. I figured that I could use a Kage Bunshin to gauge his abilities, and give me time to catch up with my teammates and fill them in on my plan. Plus, I told them to hold back so that he would underestimate me in the future."

Hinata found herself giving the boy a shy smile, and she nodded her understanding. "H-he is too powerful for any of us to beat him on our own. Even the three of us working together would be unable to defeating him in all out combat. Therefore…"

"We need to trick him."

"B-but why do you n-need us, Naruto-kun?"

If he had noticed her sudden use of the familiar form, he showed no sign of it. "I needed the clone to get a reading on him, but now he knows that I will use them. Next time, a few clones would be enough to distract him."

"That's a fairly good plan… Maybe you aren't as stupid as I thought, moron."

Sasuke dropped down beside them, and gave them both a scathing look. "On the other hand, the two of you just revealed Naruto's entire plan to anyone listening out in the forest. What if he had a clone in here?"

Hinata blushed, and Naruto merely shrugged. "Really, if he wanted to, he could keep all three of us dancing on his string forever. For the sake of the exercise, we have to assume that he is giving us a fighting chance. Otherwise, he wouldn't bother with this."

"Hn. You have a point."

Naruto and the Uchiha avenger gave eachother a measuring look. Hinata could have sworn that angry lances of light were fighting back and forth between their eyes. Finally, Sasuke broke the staring-match, and stuck out his hand. "I think I can work with you, even if you are a total idiot."

"And I think I can work with you," Said Naruto, taking Sasuke's hand and shaking it. "Even if you do have a kunai stuck up your ass. Now here's the plan."

- - - - - - - - - -

Kakashi finished his technique, and began to force chakra into his fingers in an attempt to catapult Naruto up into the air. However, rather than being greeted with the sight of a projectile Genin, he saw a giant cloud of white smoke replace his student. _'A clone? Impressive… Clearly I underestimated his intelligence.'_

The Copy Nin relaxed, and began to scan the forest. However, as his glance danced towards the forest, three more clones jumped out to attack him. "Kakashi-Sensei! That was painful! I'm gonna make you pay!"

Kakashi stepped back, and let the three clones run into one another. _'Interesting. So he's already beginning to realize that he can learn from what happens to his clones…'_

He felt his back come into contact with something, and his arms were caught in a Full Nelson. "Gotcha!"

One of the Kage Bunshins charged towards him to punch him, but he replaced himself with a log. _'Well done indeed. He kept me off balance enough that I didn't have time to think to replace myself with one of his clones.'_

His technique had given him a moment to disappear from the sights of any Naruto still in the forest, so he hunkered down, and began to look for his other two students. After all, it was clear that Naruto was going to take more time than the other two to defeat. He was shocked, however, when he saw all three of them sitting on one branch, fairly well hidden, and making motions as if they were planning. _'That would be a first…'_

The hyperactive blonde made a motion, and his raven-haired rival gave him an incredulous look. However, before tensions could really break out, the Hyuuga meekly stepped in, forcing both to cool down with a few words. The boys abandoned their glares, and both turned back to planning. However, before he could begin to move towards them, he was halted by the appearance of the group of clones he had just frustrated. "Kakashi-sensei, eavesdropping is rude."

One dove at his feet, attempting to tackle him, but Kakashi jumped above that clone, and kicked the one behind it, which had been angling to punch him. It disappeared, and Kakashi landed upon the clone that had targeted his feet, causing it to puff into non-existence as well. One more of the clones was dismissed by a kunai, which Kakashi sent through the doppelganger's skull. "Not enough."

The last clone just shrugged. "Honestly, if a group of clones could defeat you on their own, you'd be a pretty sorry Jounin, wouldn't you?"

Kakashi threw another Kunai, but the clone hit the ground at let the knife impact into the tree behind it. "Too slow!"

Suddenly, the clone burst into smoke, as a branch fell on top of it. Kakashi smirked, under his mask, and remarked, "Indeed. Too slow!"

The silver-haired Jounin returned to journeying towards his students, decidedly under-whelmed. None of the clones had been anywhere near the level a Kage Bunshin should have been, even for a genin. Either Naruto was so technically unskilled that his clones were too weak to defeat a normal human, or something was escaping his attention. _'Unless Naruto is holding back to keep me guessing.'_

A fireball shot through the clearing, and Kakashi was forced to hit the ground or be toasted. "The game is over, Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke and Naruto entered the clearing, the former scowling at the latter with a vacant smile plastered across his face. "Sorry it took us so long to get back to you, but we had more important things to worry about."

"Shinobi Lesson Number Two: Genjutsu" Announced Kakashi, as he formed hand-seals. "The art of illusion, used to trick and misdirect foes."

Naruto just smiled and charged, with the Uchiha following. He lashed out, but his fist was met with a tree-trunk. From behind them, Kakashi snickered. "Never assume that your eyes are telling you the truth, unless you _know_ that your opponent is using a genjutsu"

Both fighters whirled around, and found their teacher holding an unconscious Hinata by the back of her jacket. "It was a good plan, I admit, and it would have worked quite well against a foe at your level. However, I knew you were coming long before you fired the first shot. You need to work on your stealth abilities."

"You bastard! Put Hinata down!"

Naruto charged forward, and Kakashi jumped from the branch, leaving Hinata to fall from where he had dropped her. Naruto redirected his movement and caught his falling teammate. Sasuke followed in Naruto's path, and engaged Kakashi with a series of punches. Kakashi warded them off and shot a front kick into Sasuke's stomach, sending the dark-haired avenger into a tree. Sasuke slid down the tree, and fell to the ground, where he sat, holding a hand over his stomach and gasping.

Naruto set Hinata down beside Sasuke and glared at his teacher. "Let's do this seriously, then."

"I'm waiting."

Naruto pulled a kunai from his pouch and threw it at Kakashi, making seals. "Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A wave of Kunai appeared, making Kakashi pause for a moment. "Damn…"

Kakashi made a seal, and disappeared. Naruto cursed. "Where did he go?"

Then a rumbling noise caught his attention. "Wha-"

Hands grabbed his feet, and pulled him down. He sunk into the earth, and found himself up to his neck in dirt. Kakashi smirked, and looked down at his helpless student. "Shinobi Lesson Number 3: Ninjutsu. The art of injuring and disabling your opponent with elemental techniques."

Naruto struggled for a moment, and then contented himself with glaring at his teacher. "How did you know?"

"It wasn't a bad plan at all, actually," Kakashi remarked. "The only problem was that I knew what to expect from you, since this is a very standard shinobi exercise. Using yourself and Sasuke to keep me distracted while Hinata stole the bells was a fairly cliché tactic. Still, it might have worked, if Hinata hadn't seen through my genjutsu. When she saw me, she rushed from her hiding place to warn you, and I saw her."

:"Damn…"

_'Good teamwork, a clever, if orthodox, strategy, and genuine concern about the well-being of an injured comrade so that she was placed before the completion of the mission.' _ Kakashi felt a feeling of amusement and pride grow in his chest. _'I think I may have found them. Just one test left.'_

The bell rang and Kakashi grabbed the back of Naruto's jacket to pull him out. "I tell you what. I'll give you some food, and you can lead them in a second test after you eat. However, since they were knocked out, they don't get any food."

"No thanks."

Kakashi's eyebrows rose. "Why not?"

Naruto just shrugged. "I'm not gonna make them go on a mission without having eaten in over 12 hours after having been knocked out. They need to eat and rest, or they'll be in danger during a test. It would be irresponsible of me to ask them to do that for my own good. I'll wait and try again in a year."

"Really then…" Kakashi put on his most serious face, and gave the disappointed Genin a stern stare. "Well then, I'm afraid that you…"

The boy's head lowered and he looked away, from his sensei. "I'm sorry Hinata… Sasuke…"

"Pass!"

"Eh?"

Kakashi dropped his act and smiled at the young man. "You passed the exercise. If you had managed to get a bell from me I would have been shocked. The test was intended to judge your teamwork. The three of you worked together flawlessly, and without any prompting. Sure, you failed to get the bells, but you demonstrated that you were capable of working as a team. More than that, when I gave you a chance to sacrifice the safety of your teammates to complete the mission, you refused. Those who break the rules and regulations are trash... But... Those who don't care about their companions are worse than trash!"

Naruto grinned broadly at his teacher and did a victory dance. "We passed! We passed! Wahoo!"

Kakashi laughed and turned around. "Have fun bringing them back into town, Naruto."

"Wha-. Sensei?" The boy whirled around, but his teacher had already disappeared. "Bastard!"

- - - - - - - - - -

**Author's Notes: Only 2 weeks this time, I think. Not bad, considering. Hopefully I can keep up this pace, but I doubt it. Look out for Chapter Five: Here We Go Again!**

**Reviews are always appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5 Here We Go Again!

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Author's Notes: **I'm doing my best to get this chapter done in a few short days. It seems to me that by taking so long in between updates, I'm losing people's interest, so I'll make an effort to turn out one chapter a week (even if that ends up monopolizing my weekends for a while).

- - - - - - - - - -

**Chapter Five: Here We Go Again!**

'_How far can you spit  
Is your voice like grit  
Might seem out of tune  
But you'll love one day soon'_

Sex Pistols: Here We Go Again 

- - - - - - - - - -

"I'm sorry to bring you here so early," Said the Sandaime, looking at Kakashi sternly. "But this is exceedingly important."

Kakashi nodded, and pressed a hand to his mouth to cover his yawn. As far as he was concerned it was five _hours_ early. His normal waking time was noon, so having him here at 7:00 (coincidently, the time he had told his team to meet him) was cruel of the old man. "What do you need?"

The old man sighed, and kept his serious expression. "I'm going to be asking quite a bit of you, but it is absolutely necessary that you follow my instructions to the word."

_'This can't be good.' _Kakashi knew that whenever the Hokage said that he was asking a lot of someone, it was an understatement. _'He's not going to take them away, is he?'_

"I am assigning you an X-Rank mission. It will be a training mission of utmost importance."

X-Rank missions were a unique set of missions. They were never assigned to anyone but Sannin, and even then they were rare. If the Hokage were assigning him one, it was likely that he would be killed before it was completed.

"Your team will also be involved in this mission, but they are to be kept unaware of it until its completion. Your assignment is this: You will train Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke to be able to replace the Sannin within ten years. This will require the utmost dedication of both you and them. You will have to double, or even triple, normal training time without interrupting their missions in any way."

Kakashi's mouth fell open. This was beyond the absurd. To ask _him_, Konoha's number one laziest ninja, to train the new Sannin and to spend even more time to do the impossible by teaching them the skills of the greatest shinobi was crazy. "Hokage-sama, with all due respect, you are asking the impossible of me."

"Yes." The old man shrugged, showing no pity to Kakashi. "I am asking you to sacrifice personal time, to give up on your habit of being late, and to commit yourself entirely to the training of a new team. The completion of this mission is of the utmost importance. What do you know about the Sannin?"

Kakashi thought for a moment. "They are wandering Shinobi who take on the most dangerous tasks that their village has to offer. Normally they are committed to the protection of the village, so few of their missions are traditional missions. They are generally assumed to be the next in line for the position of Kage. Beyond that, I don't know much."

"Indeed… We don't tell shinobi all that there is to know about the Sannin. The Sannin are a very secret group. They are nominally the diplomatic and personal envoys of the Hokage. They are also figureheads." Sarutobi gestured at the Hokage Monument. "Essentially, they are more important than any of the faces we carve into our mountains. They are there to be a physical representation of the strength of a Hidden Village's shinobi. If they are weak, the village is seen as being weak. If they are disloyal, the village is seen as being fragmented."

"And we have no Sannin at all."

"Exactly. Jiraiya has retreated into his perversion, and while he stops by the village once every five years with an intelligence report, he has no real interest in Konoha beyond a weak feeling of duty. Tsunade has become dominated by her vices, in her quest to flee from her past. Even if we knew where she was, she would send us away. Orochimaru… Well, the least said of him, the better. He has chosen to stand as Konoha's foe, rather than our friend."

Kakashi felt a sense of inevitability settle on his shoulders. "And so you need a new team as soon as possible."

Sarutobi nodded. "Exactly. It is essential that we show the world that we have the strength to defend ourselves. Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke are our best bet for building a team with the intention of making the Sannin. Our last attempt at making such a team failed when your team collapsed following Obito's death. You are the only Jounin in the village with the power to train these children to the point that they can become our Sannin."

_'Sensei… Obito… Rin… We were supposed to be something more, but our ambitions destroyed us all… I won't let that happen again.'_

"I'll do it."

The Sandaime smiled broadly, and a weight seemed to fall from his shoulders. "Good. Then you start tomorrow. You will meet your team at 05:00 and you will train until 12:00, when you will take a mission from me. After your mission, you will return to training until 20:00, at which point you will disperse until the next day. Your team will receive Saturday and Sunday off of missions, but they will have training from 1200 to 1800 on those days. You will continue with that schedule for 5 years, not counting times while you are on assignment, and then your students will be apprenticed to the strongest ninja in the village during their training time, and you will be sent on missions together as a jounin-team."

Kakashi's jaw dislocated, and he yelped in pain for a moment. The Hokage was asking for him to not only give up more time, he was asking him to be on time. The old man just laughed. "Sorry Kakashi, but we all have to make sacrifices."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Where is he?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto's incessant grumbling was getting on his nerves. "He's late, obviously. What did you expect from him?"

Naruto flushed and looked away. "This really sucks."

"No shit."

Hinata pushed her fingers together nervously. "Ano… M-maybe we could use this time productively?"

Sasuke felt a rush of gratitude to the little Hyuuga. "Hn. That would seem to be the solution to this dilemma."

"That's a good idea, Hinata!" Naruto was grinning, clearly glad that Hinata had diffused the fight "But what can we do?"

Sasuke grinned cruelly. "Do you remember Iruka-sensei's morning exercises?"

The look on Naruto's face made it very difficult for Sasuke to bite back a cackling laugh. Iruka's morning exercises had been hell on earth for Academy Students. Iruka was in charge of textbook learning and technical education, so students were assigned a second teacher for calisthenics. However, Iruka had occasionally taught the workouts, when a teacher was sick or on a mission. He was a harsher taskmaster than any other teacher they had ever had. Students who were in worse shape had dropped out after one of his workouts. Judging from his response, Naruto remembered those from his time in the academy. "W-we are Genin now. We should be able to d-do the exercises."

Sasuke silently thanked Hinata. "Good, it's settled."

"But, But, B-"

"Dimwit, we aren't in our first year of the Academy any more. It won't seem as hard now."

Technically, that wasn't true, since Iruka had ramped up his workouts to fit his students' ages, but Naruto didn't know that. "Now… Windsprints."

The workout routine began with a series of Windsprints that lasted for almost 20 minutes. After the Genin had gotten their pulses up, they switched over to pushups. These exercises, compounded by the requirement that chakra be used to stick the students hand to the ground while they worked, were absolutely exhausting. After that it was time for sit-ups while expelling chakra from the palms at a constant rate. The last part of the workout was thirty more minutes of running, followed by a quick walk to cool down.

As they returned to their meeting place at the bridge, all three Genin were exhausted. Almost as one, they collapsed against the walls of the bridge and panted. "My, my. You lot look fairly tired."

Kakashi's eyes were curved in a smile, and he leaned against a nearby tree. "You should really try to be on time, in the future."

Sasuke glared at the man, and managed to gasp out, "Workout…"

Naruto, however, had an opinion of his own. "Hypocrite."

Kakashi's smile grew even broader. "It is good for a ninja to be motivated to use his time well. You do not need to worry about my being late again. We will meet at 05:00 on weekdays and 12:00 on weekends. I will be on time. However, since you have such motivation, you can show up and hour early and go through your routine before you show up."

"Bastard…"

Sasuke fought down the urge to throttle his teacher. Once his breathing was under control (his temper most certainly was not), he began to question their teacher, "Why are we meeting so early?"

"Remediation." Kakashi shrugged at his students' expressions of horror. "You all graduated early, so we'll be working hard to make up for things. Besides which, I expect only the best from my students. You will be expected to surpass all other teams quickly. I will not waste my time with anything less than the best."

Sasuke nodded, and Naruto and Hinata gave eachother looks of resignation. Kakashi gave them all a look of sheer malicious glee, and continued, "We will spend our mornings sparring and getting hands-on combat experience, to hone our existing techniques. In the early afternoon we will eat and carry out one D-Rank mission. After we have completed our mission, we will return here and work on developing new skills and teamwork. We will be dismissed at 20:00 to sleep and eat."

He clapped his hands, and began to walk across the bridge into the small training ground they had met at. "Any questions?"

Team 3 struggled to their feet and said nothing, clearly shocked by the intensity of their training. Kakashi took that as a negative answer. "Good. Then we will begin immediately. Sasuke, Naruto, please move to the center of the training ground and begin sparring. Taijutsu only, for now."

The two boys quickly acquiesced, and stood three feet from one another in the middle of the large clearing they were training in. Kakashi raised a hand, "Ready?" The hand dropped. "Go!"

Both boys exploded into motion. Sasuke lunged forward, kicking out at Naruto, who sidestepped the kick and chopped a hand down into Sasuke's leg. Sasuke yelped and dealt Naruto a punch across the face. "Ouch! You bastard!"

"Save your breath!"

Naruto stepped behind Sasuke and pulled him over his hip, sending the black-haired boy into the ground. Sasuke hit the ground with an explosion of breath. However, before Naruto could act on his weakness, Sasuke shot two feet into Naruto's stomach. _'Interesting. The moron clearly learned a different variant of Taijutsu than the tekken that we are taught at the Academy.'_

Sasuke pulled himself to his feet and Naruto did the same. "Not the same as yesterday at all, eh dumbass?"

Naruto grinned. "It's easier to keep people guessing, bastard."

Sasuke felt something like primal joy rush through his body. Naruto was unquestionably an obnoxious brat, but fighting him was _fun. _Sasuke rushed towards Naruto, and punched him in the stomach. Naruto took the punch and slid backwards into a tree. With a grunt, he catapulted himself off of the tree towards Sasuke. As he drew nearer, he crouched low, and tackled Sasuke to the ground. They rolled for a time, each fighting for the chance to pin the other and finish the match, but neither was able to gain control. After a minute, they broke apart, and both returned to a corner of the clearing. "I'll get you next time!"

Naruto's animalistic grin showed that he was having as much fun as Sasuke was. "Dream on, moron!"

The two circled now, more cautious, until Naruto charged, an overhand punch heading for Sasuke's chest. Sasuke sidestepped, but Naruto stuck a foot out to trip him. Both went down again, and rolled clear. _'We are evenly matched. I can't beat him this way!'_

Both boys began making seals at once. However, before they could progress, Kakashi jumped in the middle of the clearing. "I said Taijutsu only. Step back and cool off, you two."

Both boys bowed, and retreated to the edge of the clearing, where they sat, panting for breath. Kakashi gave them a look of disappointment, and then turned his focus to Hinata. "Hinata, you and I will spar while they rest."

The small girl nodded, and rose to join Kakashi in the middle of the clearing. After they bowed, they began. Kakashi, clearly holding back, sent a roundhouse kick towards Hinata, who shot a hand into his knee, locking his leg in place. He danced back, pain on his face. She pressed her advantage, and pushed two fingers into his shoulder, disabling his shoulder.

Naruto watched raptly, observing the movements of the two combatants carefully. "How is she doing that?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes his teammate, and fought back a feeling of sympathy for Kakashi, who was clutching his arm, which was currently disabled by Hinata's taijutsu. "She's using the Jyuuken. It's the Hyuuga's special taijutsu style. They target the vital points on the chakra network and cause injury by cutting off chakra flow."

"Wow." Naruto seemed mesmerized by the fight. "She's really good."

Sasuke just shrugged, as Hinata was sent skidding along the forest floor by one of Kakashi's kicks. Both fighters circled for a moment, before moving towards one another cautiously. "She'd have to be. The Hyuuga teach their children nothing else in terms of ninja techniques. They focus so strongly on the Byakugan and Jyuuken that even very young Hyuuga are masters of Taijutsu."

"Byakugan?"

"The Hyuuga bloodline. It lets them see 360 degrees, allows them to see through walls, and gives them the ability to see chakra pathways. It's the reason that the Hyuugas are so pre-occupied with Taijutsu."

Naruto turned his attention away from the fight (Kakashi was currently dancing around Hinata, desperately trying not to be hit, while throwing punches and kicks) for the first time and gave Sasuke a puzzled look. "Why would they do that? With that kind of bloodline, they could be amazing at medical ninjutsu."

Sasuke sighed deeply, and struggled to find the words to explain. "Clans are… Traditional. They rarely deviate from one path. The Hyuugas are particularly close-minded to new and different ideas. Hinata, as the heir to the clan, is especially strongly bound to those traditions."

"That's stupid!"

"So are lots of things, dumbass. Clans have always been the way they are, and they always will be. It isn't worth losing sleep over."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Well I will! I'll change them, when I become Hokage."

"Right."

Kakashi and Hinata stopped their fight and walked over to the bickering Genin, Kakashi giving Hinata advice. "So synch up your defenses and make more of an effort to replace your blocks with strikes to vital spots. If you can do that, you'll be much more effective."

Hinata nodded. "I-I think that is what my father has been trying to e-explain to me."

Kakashi nodded. "You should also work on your footwork. If you can fade away from attacks, rather than depending on blocks, you can disable larger muscle groups."

Hinata bowed and sat down. Naruto and Sasuke looked up, identical expressions of interest gracing their faces. Sasuke decided that it was best to let Naruto go first, since the prankster was likely to explode if he didn't get information soon. "What about me, sensei?"

Kakashi looked at the hyperactive blonde with amusement. "You have a very interesting style of Taijutsu. If I recognize it properly, it's one of the more active versions of Tai Chi. It makes a very interesting tool against Shinobi who are used to Tekken."

"Yup!"

Kakashi nodded and fell into a stance that looked like the one Naruto had been using. "It would be better if you worked in a few more hard-style attacks, to shake things up. You have a lot of physical strength at your disposal, for someone your size. Try to use more time in the air to your advantage. Also, take advantage of your throws. Don't waste time on pins or submission techniques; go in for the finish. Shinobi do not surrender after ten seconds of being pinned."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully and Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "You are fast, Sasuke, but if you wish for it to be an advantage, you must use more efficient techniques. You spend too much power in every attack. Shorten your movements, and use your attacks sparingly. Sidestep more and try to target specific places with a series of attacks before fading back away. Also, since you are so fast, it is best for you to try and focus on training your speed."

"Hn."

"Since you did not know your schedule would be so demanding, I will let you go today, so that you can make preparations as necessary."

The team broke up, and Sasuke began heading for home, envisioning a number of sticks of Dango and some practice with fire techniques. However, before he could depart, Naruto and Hinata caught up to him. "Ne, Sasuke-Bastard, who is it that you want to kill."

Sasuke felt as though someone had stabbed him. "None of your business, dimwit."

"Sure it is! I'm your teammate!"

"What difference does that make?"

Naruto gave him a look of confusion. "What do you mean, 'what difference does it make?' We're your teammates! We're here to help you."

Sasuke gave Naruto a look of derision. "My life is my business. I am an avenger. I'm bound to carry out my task on my own."

"W-Why?"

Hinata's presence had been forgotten up to this moment, and both boys turned to her in surprise. Sasuke snarled and turned down a street, hoping to lose them. "Avengers take the dark path. I must grow strong enough, gain enough hate to destroy the one who destroyed everything I had."

"S-Serenity is power, Sasuke. In teamwork, our power grows greater than it is separately. Hate is meaningless in the face of a united f-front. Sun Tzu says that a divided force is useless."

Hinata's addition struck right at the core of the issue. "Stay out of this!"

Naruto stepped in between them and glared. "Don't shout at us! We're only trying to help."

"I don't want your help."

"Well too bad! You're going to get it."

Sasuke said nothing and merely left, confusion buzzing around in his head. Who were these people, that they would offer help to someone they had only known for two days? Surely they understand that some burdens could only be borne alone.

The two fell into step with him, saying nothing, but making it clear that they would not depart. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Both shook their heads. "Hn. Whatever."

He chose to ignore them, and focus on his own issues. Why anyone would ever want to assume his burden wasn't his problem. They'd be dead soon enough anyway. They would get in his way on the way to power and he would be forced to kill them. It was a pity too, since they were such nice people.

_Flashback:_

"_Sasuke, do you know why we are powerful?"_

_A younger Sasuke stood, looking out over Konohagakure with his father. "Our bloodline is the best!"_

_His father smiled a gentle smile, perhaps one of the only that he had ever smiled at Sasuke._ _"No. Although our bloodline _is _powerful, power itself is meaningless if ill-used. We are powerful because we are a family. We support eachother and work together. Together we are more powerful than our component parts."_

_The little boy looked at his father with adoration in his eyes. "So we're like Itachi-Nichan's team?"_

_The old man's face broke out in a grin. "Better. We are family."_

_"Itachi says your team is like your family."_

_"Perhaps a good one is, son."_

_End Flashback: _

They reached the gates of the Uchiha compound in silence, eyes cast forward in feigned ignorance of the others' presence. Hinata's face was taught with worry, Naruto's contorted in barely controlled fury, and Sasuke's smooth in contemplation.

He walked through the gate and turned around, to look at his teammates. "Itachi."

"What?

Hinata placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, warning him into silence. "N-Naruto-kun, Uchiha Itachi is Sasuke's brother."

Sasuke nodded darkly. "He slaughtered my family. All of them. If you really want to help me, you had better not get in my way, because I don't like barriers. But we are a team…"

"W-we are. Teams fight together."

Naruto gave a small smile. "Him, eh? I'll be glad to help take him down. We have some old accounts to settle, him and I."

"Huh?"

"Your brother tried to kidnap me," Declared Naruto, eyes blazing in anger. "I owe him some payback."

"Hn."

They stood for a moment, unified in purpose, before Sasuke turned to head inside. "Good afternoon. I'll see you tomorrow."

The other two stood outside for a moment, looking at the door their teammate had just walked through. "Well that was rude! He didn't even invite us in or anything!"

"N-Naruto-kun let it be."

"Later, Hinata!"

"Goodbye."

- - - - - - - - - -

**(That Night)**

Hyuuga Hinabi stared in shock at her unmoving arm, as her sister stood, gasping. "Good match, Hinabi-chan."

Their father, Hiashi, raised his eyebrows. Hinata had not beaten Hinabi in sparring in years. Tonight Hinata's form had been excellent, and she had followed his instructions from the previous months perfectly. "Congratulations Hinata. If you continue to show this progress, you might yet earn your position as clan heir."

The pale girl flushed and turned her eyes downwards. "Yes… Father."

"Your technique was excellent. You struck, rather than blocking, just as I have been advising. Your footwork still needs to improve, but you have mastered an important part of the Jyuuken. Good work."

The girl looked up, a bit more confident than she had been. _'Feh… Too emotional. She should not depend so strongly on my praise.'_

"T-Thank you father."

"I will let you go to bed, so that you may awake early for your new training hours tomorrow."

She went off, taking Hinabi with her, and Hiashi was left with his thoughts. His daughter never ceased to frustrate him, but it was clear that his technique of teaching had not been what made her progress. Had her weakness been his fault?

The shadows danced on the dojo walls, reminding him of the real world, and he walked out into the halls of his home, quiet in their solemn reflection. That was how the Hyuuga compound had been since the deaths of Hizashi and… Her.

His wife's death had left a hole in him that had yet to be filled. He feared that he had taken it out on Hinata too much, and that it was his gruff nature that had made her so timid. _'No more…'_

He would hinder her no longer. He would build her confidence patiently and gently, and he would make up for years of neglect. _'May as well start now.'_

He passed his daughter's door and knocked. "Come in."

He opened the door, and she looked at him in surprise. He never visited her without something to scold her about. "H-hello father."

_'That damned stutter… All my fault.' _

"Hinata, I wanted you to know that I am very proud of your progress, and that I will attempt to do better by you in your training in the future. I am moving your training to Sunday afternoons, so that you may have more time with your team, since the important part of your growth will happen with them. We will begin working on more advanced techniques on our training days. You… You have made me proud."

They were such difficult words to utter, given that he had not said them in so many years. "T-thank you, Father. I will work to continue to make you proud."

He smiled, and left. The flash of fear in her eyes as she spoke was enough to wrench his insides. Had he become so terrible? Had he truly lost his heart in the raising of his daughter? What had he become?

He entered his own bedroom and sat down at his desk. He would fight to make things better. Little did she know that she had already made him more proud than she could imagine. Not only was she making progress again, today he had received a communiqué from the Hokage which informed him that she was in training to receive the position of Sannin. Her team was slated to become one of the greatest in history. What more could any father ask?

A piece of paper fluttered on his desk and he looked down. The words struck him to the soul. _'I will sacrifice my own honor before I allow this contract to continue forward, if I feel that it will harm you. I will watch more carefully.'_

The words on the paper struck him to the soul. _"We, the Hyuuga clan, do pledge the hand of our heir to the Frog Sannin's heir, in thanks for his protection in our time in need."_

_'Such foolishness. What have we become?'_

Across Konoha, three young Genin were asking a similar question. Looking out across the village, all three were asking themselves, "What will we become?"

Little did they know that they would shape the future of Konoha for years to become, and that they would become such things as only legends are made of.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Author's Notes: 3 hours of writing and an hour of editing done, I've finished this. Not bad for one Sunday night, eh? I think that if I'm dedicated I can keep this pace going. I know these chapters aren't very long, but they are what my outline called for. I haven't got the patience to write any more at one time without publishing it and seeing some kind of result. Hopefully as I get more in practice by writing this, I will be able to write longer chapters.

Seeking a Center should run about 25 chapters, through to the same general time as the time-skip. If I feel up to it when I complete this, I will write two sequels to it.

Reviews are appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6: Bored to Tears

Seeking A Center 

**By Smertios**

**Author's Notes: **I'm glad to see that by writing my next chapter faster, I was able to garner a little more interest. I'm writing this chapter in hopes of finishing it in one or two days as well. Don't get too used to this, as I have to work on college applications and stuff as well, but for today, anyway, I feel motivated enough to do this. I'm sorry that I mistook Hanabi's name for Hinabi (I simply assumed that, like Hinata, it was the first part of her name that included the symbol for light. My bad.)

- - - - - - - - - -

**Chapter 6: Bored to Tears**

'_Teen Idles, Teen Idles  
Fuckin' bored to tears  
Teen Idles, Teen Idles  
Waste of 20 Years'_

Teen Idles: Teen Idles 

- - - - - - - - - - -

The next three weeks were a blur for the four members of Team 3. Constant training and missions had left them with little time for leisure. Their sole free hours were normally spent sleeping and recuperating in preparation for the next day's activities. The constant training left them too tired to do anything else.

Kakashi was almost demonic in his drive to keep the team in action, and to refine the skills they had. To their frustration, he had spent much of the time reviewing old skills, rather than teaching new ones. However, Kakashi's sadistic streak had lead to him making additions to almost every exercise.

When they had been working on accuracy exercises, he had required them to throw kunai while drawing chakra. The combined effect focusing on the proper motions to hit the target and focusing on manipulating chakra was very draining. However, after spending an hour on the exercise every day for three weeks, they were able to do both without thinking about what they were doing.

While most of their training had been pleasant, if difficult, they had had a run in with the eccentric teacher of Team 1, Maito Gai, who had attempted to get them all to wear green spandex suits. After Kakashi had calmly, but forcefully demanded that Gai leave his students alone before he called the Konoha police force in to arrest him for child abuse, they were able to get back to work, but Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata had all decided that it might be smarter to avoid his team in the future.

- - - - - - - - - -

**(Flashback)**

As Maito Gai and his eccentric team departed Team 7's clearing, Naruto leaned back against a tree, and grinned. "See, Hinata?"

Hinata felt her cheeks burn, but before she could reply, Sasuke interjected. "That doesn't prove a thing! All it proves is that acting strange will make people dislike you."

"S-Sasuke-san, why do you dislike them?"

The avenger simply ignored her. Naruto, however, couldn't resist such an easy dig. "Maybe it's that he got whipped by a 'weirdo'."

Sasuke made a rude gesture at Naruto, who just smiled back. "Ok, idiot, you're right. I assumed that the freaky big-eyebrows kid wasn't that tough. I was wrong. There, are you happy?"

Naruto's grin grew sunnier, clearly confirming that he _was _happy to have demonstrated the falsehood of Sasuke's assumptions and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Anyway, how do you know his actions were what gave it away? For all you know, I underestimated him because he didn't look very powerful."

Hinata had grown used to their arguments, and had found some peace in knowing that they were more like the squabbling of siblings than like real arguments. However, it was probably best to step in before either of them transitioned over to violence, and brought Kakashi's wrath down on them (The last time that had happened, they had run around Konoha well into the night before Kakashi was convinced to let them go home). She opened her mouth to speak, but someone was faster than her. "Sasuke, Naruto was right."

Kakashi entered the clearing and gave his bickering male students an obnoxiously broad smile. "If you act unserious and clueless, shinobi will underestimate you. Many ninja adopt this technique, in hopes of gaining an advantage in battle."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke, who gave what (had it not been Uchiha Sasuke) Hinata would have sworn was a pout. Kakashi, however, was not done, "Many ninja also end up ingraining their alter-personality so heavily in their psyche that they _become _it as well. That's why poor Gai acts the way he does. So unless you really have a desire to spend the rest of your life wearing bright-green spandex, I'd consider trying to simply act normal, rather than acting stupid."

It was Naruto's turn to pout, and Sasuke's turn to gloat, this time. "So much for superior stupidity, eh shrimp?"

"Why You!"

- - - - - - - - - -

Although tension between them was not resolved by any means, Sasuke and Naruto were quickly learning to be civil to one another (although their definition of civil still seemed to include quite a bit of bickering, in Hinata's opinion). Hinata had been shocked to discover the two of them holding a polite, normal-toned (if Naruto could be accused of having such a tone) conversation about the use of explosive tags when she had arrived late, having been distracted by her father's lesson on the management of clan money.

In fact, she had been late to a number of practices before she realized that she would have to wake up earlier if she wanted to receive her father's daily lesson and still make it to practice on time. She was still very surprised at the change in his behavior. After all, he had never bothered with her in the morning _before_. Now, however, he was waking up earlier to teach her the inner workings of the clan before her team's morning workout.

The only downside was the mission that came in the middle of their day.

"Sector A-3 clear!"

Naruto's excited shout brought Hinata back from her meditations. She checked off the small square on her map, and scanned the map quickly. "Ok. Move on to sector B-3 a-and do a full sweep there."

She silently cursed herself for the tremor in her voice. Over the last three weeks it had slowly begun to disappear. Continued contact with Naruto had given her the ability to speak clearly most of the time, but she still occasionally slipped.

"Sector D-5 cleared."

Hinata nodded to Sasuke, checked off the sector and motioned for him to continue. Their mission for the day, entitled "Recover diamond in the rough" was becoming tedious.

They could have finished the mission in ten minutes or less, if Hinata had been allowed to use her Byakugan, but Kakashi had insisted that they needed the experience in search missions (never mind that Hinata would have her Byakugan on real search missions as well).

She finished her section (C-4) and marked it off on her map. She continued along to the next section on her map, but Kakashi interrupted her thoughts. "Found it."

He stood up from where he had been bent over in the tall grass, and displayed a collar made of – obviously fake – diamonds. Sasuke sighed, and Hinata felt her left eye tic, ever so slightly. Naruto, however, had only one thing to say, "We spent an hour and half looking for THAT?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and nodded. "The head of the Painter's Guild spoils his daughter with many presents. He wouldn't want one to go astray."

Sasuke harrumphed in annoyance. "I don't know _how_ anyone could be stupid enough to let their grass grow to be over three feet tall."

Their sensei nodded, and shrugged. "Can't really be helped though. D-Ranked missions pretty much suck, but someone has to do them."

All four of them left the overgrown fields that surrounded the Painter's Guildhall and headed for the Konoha Administration Building in low spirits.

- - - - - - - - - -

"For Monday, you have the choice between 'Care for the Elders' Children' or 'Clean up Konoha's hospital'."

Naruto drew in a deep breath, and was clearly prepared to lose his temper with the Hokage when Kakashi stepped in front of him. "Hokage-sama, we have now completed 14 D-Rank missions. Are we not eligible for a C-Rank mission now?"

Sasuke and Hinata's eyes lit, and Hinata could tell that Naruto was also getting exited at the prospect. The old man stopped for a moment, and considered. "Well… I suppose that I could send you on a more interesting mission."

"Yes! Do we get to fight a dragon? Maybe we can assassinate a criminal? Defend a princess?"

The Hokage laughed and shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Naruto. Your mission will be fairly run of the mill, for a C-Rank."

He handed Kakashi a scroll, and shooed the team out of the room. Once they were outside of the mission room, the team quickly gathered around Kakashi. "What does it say, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi scanned the scroll and looked at Naruto for a moment, clearly enjoying the hyperactive blonde's discomfort. "We are to act as bodyguards to a minor noble while he goes to a yearly meeting with all the other nobles in the Fire Country. We will be escorting him to the capital and acting as a guard until his return,"

Their silver-haired sensei quickly instructed them to pack and meet them by the front gate the next morning at 08:00.

Hinata felt an odd sense of security settle over her. If nothing else, this mission was very standard fare. The worst they might face was a petty assassin hired by a richer noble. Shinobi were barred from carrying out assassinations inside a Daimyo's palace. It would be a safe mission without being too safe for them to learn.

The meeting of the minor nobles was primarily a chance for bargaining to occur in between different political factions, and for nobles to show off their wealth and influence. It often was punctuated by failed assassinations, but it was all for show, really.

Choosing Team 3 to carry out the mission was also the right choice, as Hinata was fully trained to operate in a noble court (because the Hyuuga clan had emissaries of its own in the court), Sasuke was too quiet to offend anyone, and Naruto… Hinata wasn't quite sure what advantages he might have on the mission, but she was fairly sure he was smart enough to not say anything too offensive.

She hoped.

- - - - - - - - - -

Packing for the mission did not take long for Naruto, since most of his property could fit in a small duffle bag with little effort. When he had put all of his weapons and all four of his changes of clothing into his bag, he relaxed.

It had been a long month or so since he had left the monastery, and he still wasn't quite sure where he belonged in the world. The people of Konoha certainly felt no particular fondness towards him, but it was clear that there were some people who were very willing to stand by him.

Hinata, Sasuke, Kakashi, the Hokage, and even his old sensei, Iruka, were being friendly to him. If he was totally honest with himself, he found the situation a little bit surreal. From the perspective of a child who had been hated in his youth, and then raised in a solitary monastery, having a small group of people who he could trust and find comfort with was unnerving. _'How long until they learn to hate me?'_

If they knew about the Kyuubi, he was sure it would be no time at all. Not even the most forgiving person could overcome the prejudice that Konoha's residents had towards the Kyuubi.

There were times when he just thought about running away; getting out of the city before his teammates learned to hate him as well. However, the Yondaime's sacrifice would weigh heavy on his heart, when he thought such things. His father had given his life to protect this village, and while Naruto wasn't sure why, he knew that the former Hokage would not have been proud to see his son turn his back on it.

A rustling noise alerted him to the fact that he was not the only person in his cramped apartment. He withdrew a senbon needle from his backpack, and cast his eyes around the room. "Who's there?"

Kakashi stepped into the room from the open window with his hands up. "You shouldn't go pointing weapons at people, you know."

"You shouldn't be sneaking into people's apartments from the windows, you know. There are doors for a reason."

The man laughed, and Naruto relaxed, putting the weapon away. "I'd offer you something to drink, but all I have is spoiled milk, and the water tastes of rust."

"I think I'll pass, then."

"Thought you would." Naruto adopted a mockery of a polite expression. "Other than demonstrating my home's poor security, what are you here for?"

"I'm here to do my duty."

"As a teacher? Because if so, there really isn't anything yo-"

"No, as a student." Kakashi sighed and adopted what Naruto assumed was a troubled expression. "I made a promise to my sensei, and I suppose that it is time that I went through with it."

Naruto looked puzzled, and nodded, not quite sure what response would be appropriate.

"You see… My teacher asked me, before died, to tell his son a little bit about what happened, and so I am here."

"What does this have to do with me," Naruto asked, not daring to hope that Kakashi was speaking of _his _father.

Kakashi reached into his pocket, and pulled out a picture. In it, a large, blonde man, with hair that seemed to go everywhere, wrapped his arms around a team of genin. Naruto drew in his breath, recognizing his father and Kakashi. "He taught you?"

"Yes. He was my sensei from the time I became a genin, to the time I became a jounin."

Naruto felt his heart thud oddly for a moment with emotion attempting to burst its way out of his chest, but he forced himself to calm down, and asked his next question in a quiet voice, "Why didn't you tell me?"

The man scratched his head for a moment, and then let out a breath. "I didn't want it to go to your head. I have to be fair in teaching this team, you see."

"Why now, then?"

"Do you know much about court politics?" Naruto shrugged, but his teacher gave him a piercing look, so the boy shook his head. "The court has a very long memory, and they will remember me. When they see me with you, they will likely connect the two of us back to Arashi-sensei. You need to be ready for the danger that that entails."

"What kind of danger?"

Kakashi's eye narrowed, and Naruto was fairly sure that he had adopted a grim expression under his mask. "The worst kind."

The man began pacing, and Naruto sat back, waiting for whatever he would say. "Your father… He was a very influential man. Even before he became Hokage, he had gained great popularity for his role in the Iwa-Konoha war. At the court, many are desperate for the sort of power that could be attained by having control of his son. You are in danger from anyone in the court who is looking for power."

"So what? You think I'm gonna let some fat, old man tell me what to do? I'm not _that_ dumb, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi sighed, and looked Naruto straight in the eye. "And are you prepared to be attacked? Are you prepared to have people use ninja or assassins to try and get your blood for a ritual? Are you prepared to be seduced? To be spoken for? To be offered riches and power beyond your imagining? The court is a dangerous, dangerous place, and those who enter unprepared are quickly killed by the velvet fangs of the minor nobles."

Naruto felt a wave of apprehension fill him. "Do they… Do they know about _him_?"

"No. If they did I would have told the Hokage to forget about this mission."

Team 3's sensei seemed to lose some of his tension as Naruto cottoned on to the threat that would face him in the next few days. "Can we try a disguise?"

Kakashi shook his head. "At this sort of meeting, even the best master of disguise would be easily uncovered. Disguises and costumes are the lifeblood of court politics."

"Damn…" Naruto gave a shrug of his shoulders. "It can't be helped, I suppose. I'll just have to be careful."

"Yes."

Kakashi turned to leave, but Naruto's voice stopped him. "Could you- could you tell me about him?"

The silver-haired jounin felt his heart go out to his orphaned student. "I see a lot of him in you. He was determined. Nothing, and I mean nothing, stood in between him and doing what he wanted. Even the council knew better than to try and thwart him. He was also very compassionate. He would help anyone who needed help, even if he despised them."

Kakashi seemed to be trying to swallow a lump in his throat, and Naruto felt a pang of sympathy for the man. _'I never even knew my father, but Kakashi did. This must be so much harder for him.'_

Eventually, Kakashi found the words for whatever it was he wanted to say. "He was very loyal as well. His team was his family. Whenever one of us was in distress, he had a kind word, or a helping hand for us. Still… I think what was most important about him was his confidence. He always had faith in himself and in the people around him. I remember when we first met…"

- - - - - - - - - -

_**(Flashback)**_

"I'm your new sensei, Kazama Arashi. I'll be teaching you from now on."

Three genin looked at their new teacher with something in between awe and disgust. "Y-You? But you're barely more than a teenager!"

The young man shrugged. "Age is no indication of skill or power. Either way, I'm your new teacher, and I intend to make you the best shinobi you can be. Tell me a little bit about yourselves, so I can get us started."

Introductions went around, and, at last, it was time for their teacher to speak of himself. "I am Kazama Arashi. I am a Jounin here in Konoha, and I specialize in assassination and sealing. My hobbies include calligraphy and… er… Well, we'll leave it at that, eh? You can find me at Training Ground 9, most of the time. My only ambition right now is to help Konoha as best I can."

- - - - - - - - - - -

_**(Flashback 2)**_

A hail of Kunai stabbed through the bush that Kakashi was hiding behind, tearing cuts along his arms and legs. Arashi moved over and tackled the boy out of the way, taking a kunai right in the shoulder.

"Sensei… Why?"

The man looked at Kakashi with a mischievous grin, his pain barely apparent. "I don't let my students down."

Medical-Nin hurried him away, and Kakashi was left, sitting in the mud of the battlefield, anger building inside of him.

- - - - - - - - - -

_**(Flashback 3)**_

Arashi gave Kakashi a stern look, warning him to say nothing. "In half an hour, I will go out to meet the Kyuubi in battle. I want you to lead villagers away from the fight. I'm not sure that there will be no backlash from the sealing."

"But…"

Arashi scowled. "But nothing! I have to do this. If the Kyuubi isn't stopped, Konoha's fire will be put out in the fire of its rage."

Kakashi's shoulders drooped, but his mentor was not letting up. "Now. Will you follow my orders, or will Rin have to sedate you?"

"What do you need me to do?"

The Yondaime gave his student a small, sad smile. "When I have finished the sealing, I need you to bring the vessel to the Sandaime. He will need to protect him."

Kakashi nodded and looked at the struggling infant, who was watching the scene with interest. Arashi noted his student's interest, and looked fondly at the infant. "He's my legacy to Konoha, you know. I hope they will see him for the hero he really is, eventually."

"You know the villagers, Sensei. They will hate anything at all, if they are given a chance. It would be better to send him far away."

"No, Kakashi." Arashi's voice took on a hint of steel. "You look too harshly upon the villagers. It may take time, but in time they will come to love him."

Arashi stood, and made his way to the door. "Take care of Konoha for me, eh? The Sandaime has gotten a little bit senile, if you know what I mean."

"Good-bye… Sensei."

- - - - - - - - - -

Kakashi stood, his story told, and ruffled his student's hair. "I can see a lot of him in you indeed. Some day, even the small-minded old fools of this village will come to respect you."

With that prophecy, Konoha's Copy-Nin turned. He said no more as he leapt from the window, and bounced off into Konoha's night. Naruto was left to stare out into the blackened night sky, thinking of his teacher's words, and of the man who had been his father.

His father had made such a large sacrifice, all to save this city. Naruto wasn't sure what his father had been thinking when he had saved the people of Konoha, but he was sure that he was going to stay and find out.

"Dad… I won't fail you now. I'll become the hero of Konoha, whether they like it or not."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Naruto!"

Naruto shot out of bed, hands flying towards kunai. "Whassat?"

Sasuke was wearing a very frustrated expression on his face. "We were supposed to leave HOURS ago."

"SHIT!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'll meet you out front of your apartment in five minutes."

Naruto quickly pulled on a black jacket (chosen from his "spare" clothing) to replace his orange jacket, and dashed for the door. When he got out, Sasuke handed him a packet of dry rations. "Eat that, we're going to catch up to them at the first watchtower."

:"I can't believe I was late to my first big mission."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and said, "Kakashi-sensei said to let you rest, for some reason. Otherwise I would have gotten you sooner."

Naruto smirked and nodded at the gates. "You have permission for us to leave, right? I'd really hate to get stuck here."

"Hn."

Naruto could feel his hands shaking with excitement as Sasuke signed them out of Konoha with the guard (who was doing his best to ignore Naruto's existence completely). Inside him, a fire was burning, and he could barely contain the emotions welling up inside of him.

The gates creaked open, and Naruto's breath caught in his throat. This was it; he was beginning his true path towards greatness. "Let's go! Destiny, here we come!"

"Hn."

"You're really a kill-joy, you know, Sasuke?"

"Better than being a hyperactive moron."

"I bet you don't actually really _have_ feelings do yo- Hey! Don't do that to my backpack! My Ramen!!! You bastard!"

- - - - - - - - - -

**Author's Notes: **Ok, so I know I said I was going for once a week, but obviously I didn't succeed. Instead, I finished up my plot notes for the rest of the story. It should run about Forty or Forty-One chapters, and between 140,000 and 180,000 words. Hopefully, I should have the next chapter done next Sunday (or, if I'm more efficient than I expect, a little bit sooner), but I'm going to be very busy on the days I normally use to write at the start of the week, so perhaps not.

Major thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I'll make a more conscious effort to answer some questions in my notes later. For the moment, many thanks to people who've caught my cannon gaffs. I'll fix those with a set of edits when I've finished everything.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (I admit that I probably should have added more to my notes for this chapter, but oh well… We live and learn). Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7: Politics

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Author's Notes: **Er yeah… I was writing a story, wasn't I? Chalk one point down to laziness and the never-ending frustration of the college application process. So shoot me. If I'm not accepted into any of my schools of choice, its worse than not finishing this fic, so I may disappear for a month while I try to finish up my applications. Luckily, after that most of my time-consuming activities are over with.

I won't be answering any questions in this one so that I can finish this before the end of the day and get it out of the door before Thanksgiving is over. Questions will be answered in the next one (which I'll get a start on by Sunday and will have finished some time between next Sunday and the time that winter break starts).

So… Without further ado, the first real story-arc of Seeking a Center.

**Disclaimer: **Not mind. Protected speech since I make no money. So on, so forth. Let's just assume that this applies from here on in and stop wasting my time with these stupid things, right? Glad we could agree on that.

- - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 7: Politics 

'_Economy, technology, does it really work?  
The guy running the government's another jerk  
Try to teach some values and they all erode away  
You're lucky if they listen to a single word you say.'_

_Bad Religion: Politics_

- - - - - - - - - -

**(Somewhere on the road)**

"Dumbass, stop pestering Oshima-sama and get back to patrolling our left flank!"

Sasuke's loud complaint broke through the crisp, morning air of the hushed forest, disturbing nearby birds. "N- No, it's quite alright Sasuke-kun, Naruto's questions are a nice distraction from the monotony of the road."

Oshima Keisuke, lord of the Kitashi precinct, was a dignified old man whose kindness towards Naruto was driving Sasuke mad. The fact that Naruto had quickly attached himself to the man and was clearly learning a lot from the man was all that kept Sasuke from murdering him.

"I'm sorry, Oshima-sama, but Naruto needs to return to his duties."

"Kakashi-sensei! If anyone was coming in this fog we'd hear them far before we saw them."

Kakashi sighed and motioned at Naruto to return to his patrol. Naruto pouted for a moment, but he went off to work without another word. In his head Naruto was fuming. _'Oshima-san knows so much about the way people think and his stories are so interesting. Doesn't Kakashi-sensei see that I am learning a lot from the man? He has so much experience! Besides which, he doesn't hate me!'_

Naruto nearly had a heart attack when Hinata dropped down beside him and gave him a small smile. "Hinata, shouldn't you be on the other side?"

"I-I can see twice as far in both directions as the two of us together can see with our regular eyes."

The veins beside her eyes were all visible, and her eyes were fully activated. Naruto, knowing the chakra exhaustion that came with many eye-based bloodlines, gave Hinata a skeptical look. "Can you keep that up for long?"

She nodded. "Part of my training is working on keeping the Byakugan activated for long times so that it becomes more powerful."

Something about that statement bothered Naruto for a moment, and he struggled to put a finger on what was bothering him. A moment later, it struck him like a lead weight to the chest. "You didn't stutter!"

"I-I d-didn't?"

Naruto chuckled at Hinata's nervous response. "I'm glad, though. You don't need to be nervous around us, you know? We're your team."

Hinata flushed and looked away, and Naruto decided not to push it. "Anyway, Hinata, why would Kakashi send us out here if he knew your eyes could do better and allow us to stay together."

There was a moment of silence, and Naruto looked over to Hinata. To his surprise, she seemed to be pensive, as though she were unsure of what to say. "N-Naruto… I think that k-Kakashi-sensei is t-trying to keep you from spending too much time with Oshima-sama."

"What? Why would he do that?"

Hinata's mouth worked, and eventually the words she had been looking for came out. "Kakashi-sensei d-doesn't trust h-him. I d-don't know why, but Sensei's r-reactions to o-Oshima-sama are distrustful."

Naruto felt a frown settle on his brow, and Hinata's face became sorrowful. She began to speak, "I'm s-sor-"

"No." Naruto shook his head. Hinata's eyes filled with tears at the apparent rejection, but Naruto continued, "Don't apologize. You're right. I'm not mad at you."

Hinata nodded and remained silent. Minutes passed in silence as both shinobi paced out the path of Naruto's patrol. The tension slowly ebbed, and Naruto's shoulders relaxed slowly from the defensive position they had risen into. Hinata gave him a small smile, and, finally, Naruto began to speak again. "I just don't understand why Kakashi-sensei can't let things be. Oshima-san is one of the few people who even listen to me at all. Sensei should have just let it go; I can take care of myself."

"Kakashi-sensei has a g-good reason to distrust Oshima-sama. Members of the court a-are concerned with power and in-influence before they are concerned with people. O-Oshima-s-sama may seem nice, but he is still a threat to your well-being."

Naruto's face fell, but he fought to put it back into place. "He doesn't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself. Oshima-san is a nice guy; there's not reason for me to distrust him just because of the family he was born into."

Hinata said nothing, and Naruto could have sworn she was smiling (albeit ruefully), though her face was pointed away from him. "What?"

"N-nothing."

"Let's head back, then. We'll be getting there soon."

From above, a clone of Kakashi gave a small smirk, thankful that Hinata had been distracted by her interaction with Naruto. Having left a clone with the main party to follow them was a bit of a risk, but he was glad he had. It had taken real guts for Hinata to say what she had. He was glad to see that the shy girl was finally coming into her own. His only worry was that Naruto was still too blind to understand the dynamics of court politics. However, it was also a part of the boy's charm, and blind optimism, while dangerous, seemed to be Naruto's greatest strength.

- - - - - - - - -

A few more hours of walking brought Team 3 out of the forest. As the branches thinned, gasps of amazement escaped from Naruto and Hinata. The capital city of Konoha was as different from the Hidden Village as possible. The tall, ornate buildings of the city soared out in graceful curves and beautiful gates, creating an impressive visage. Where the Hidden Village was functional and rusting from use, the capital was a monument to affluence and beauty. Sasuke surveyed the city for a moment before turning to Kakashi with an arch expression. "It is no wonder they require extra guards in this city. Academy Students could infiltrate it."

Kakashi guffawed, and Oshima huffed slightly. However, he said nothing, since Sasuke was indubitably correct. The narrow streets and innumerable alleys of the city made it difficult for large forces to move through the city, but a small group of mobile Shinobi would have no problem moving fast and remaining undetected in the city. The graceful architecture and numerous arches made the city into a 3-dimensional battlefield for an unconventional attacker. Kakashi gave Sasuke a warning look, and gestured towards the nearby gates. "The city is not undefended, it is merely difficult to defend. It acts as a symbol of status to possible clients and as a symbol of power to the people. It is not without a use."

"Hn."

Hinata and Naruto both gave Sasuke warning looks, and the avenger said no more, choosing to turn his frustration against his teammates instead. His burning glare focused on Naruto, and the blonde gave him a thin smile. Oshima gave both boys a patronizing smile and nodded to Kakashi. "Well… Onwards and upwards."

The Copy-Cat Shinobi nodded and the team moved on. As they approached the gates, a voice rang out. "Halt!"

Team 3 paused, and a man dropped down in front of them, an ANBU mask covering his face. "Identification, please."

Kakashi presented the man with their travel papers, and the man read through them quickly. When he reached the last one, he paused for a moment. Although Naruto could not see his face, the tenseness of the man's body revealed that he was clearly very angry. "Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Oshima-sama may pass. There seems to be a problem with Uzumaki Naruto's paperwork, though, so he must stay with me."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What is wrong? Maybe I can help to fix the problem."

"Move along, please, sir." The ANBU's mask turned towards Kakashi and his hand strayed to the hilt of a kunai in his belt. "As a royal guard this issue falls into my jurisdiction, and I feel that this Uzumaki character must be fully questioned."

Keisuke, concern painting his features moved forward. "Now see here, sir! The young man is clearly a shinobi of Konoha. I am fully willing to vouch for him. You have no real reason to hold him here."

The ANBU drew his kunai and pointed it at Team 3. "You will move along. This little _monster_ is fully under my control. Act 3271 Paragraph 14 gives me the right to jurisdiction over all suspicious cases regarding the well-being of the Daimyo."

Kakashi's expression changed completely, growing steely, and his voice became one of command. "Hamada Kazuhiro, if you do not let this drop _now_ I will report you to your current commander and have you suspended from your duty completely. You were sent to this position out of respect for your suffering, but I will not see you take your suffering out on my student. Your parents would be ashamed of your actions. Do not force my hand."

The man motioned them through scornfully and spat out one last insult. "Just remember, Kakashi, that even you can't make up for your teacher's mistakes. Once a monster, always a monster."

Oshima huffed at the man in passing. "I can't believe that anyone would abuse their power like that just to bait some poor child."

"That is the risk of passing a law that assumes that authority will never be abused. For every 10 good men who serve in Konoha's Shinobi corps there is one who will use his power for ill. If the Daimyo would leave the issue of Shinobi regulation to the Hokage, laws like this would not be passed."

Oshima, seeing that Kakashi was not in the mood for conversation, let the issue drop, smarting from Kakashi's verbal slap.

- - - - - - - - - - -

It is common knowledge that a Shinobi does not truly know the meaning of boredom until he or she has taken a mission in the Daimyo's court. Standing in line and waiting for a meeting which was a mere formality was frustrating, but doing so for five hours became dangerously bored. Shinobi had fallen asleep on the job and seen their patrons slain because of their inability to cope with their boredom.

To Kakashi's shock, Sasuke was the first to break. As Naruto gabbled away with their client and Hinata stood calmly, showing no sign of boredom whatsoever, Sasuke began to fidget nervously. As the boy's fidgeting became more intense, Kakashi felt a small smirk spread across his face. "Sasuke."

The boy's head snapped up, and he gave Kakashi a guilty look. "Sorry sensei."

Kakashi waved a hand and handed the boy a small metal ball. "Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm actually shocked that it took you this long to start to lose it. Most rookie shinobi don't even make it two hours in here."

Sasuke glanced at the steel orb that Kakashi had handed him. "What is this?"

"A Shoujindama (Concentration Ball). It naturally repels chakra. The goal is to keep focusing chakra into it even though the chakra wants to go anywhere else. It's a portable control exercise."

Sasuke nodded his thanks to Kakashi quickly and turned his attention to the orb, a small line of sweat tracing its way down his forehead. Kakashi smiled; glad he had brought a ball bearing with him, and turned his attention to his only female charge. Hinata's eyes were white, clearly scanning for dangers, and her face was contorted slightly in concentration. "I have no idea how you have made it five hours without making a sound. Sasuke and Naruto make sense, but I'd never guess that you could go this long with no sign of boredom."

Hinata started and her eyes returned to their normal, lavender shade. "Huh?"

Kakashi's eyes widened, and a giggle escaped from him. "So that's the trick of the Hyuuga clan, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"The book you have in your backpack. I saw you reading it yesterday, but you didn't open it to your bookmark. You're reading it using your Byakugan, aren't you?"

Hinata's face flushed, and she gave a small nod. Kakashi fought the urge to gloat, having uncovered the reason that so many Hyuugas were capable of remaining unflappable. "Do they teach every Hyuuga that?"

The small girl pulled the book from her backpack and peeled it open, revealing that the pages were made of a plastic-like compound. "It's a-an exercise for b-Byakugan users. By focusing through the p-pages w-we learn to control exactly how much we see through. O-otherwise we would see through everything."

Kakashi grinned and looked at the book's title. "Basic Medical Jutsus? Are you interested in them?"

She nodded, and Kakashi made a mental note to find a medic-nin who could tutor Hinata when they got back to Konoha. A medic-nin was a boon for any team, and the Hyuuga's eyes could be invaluable for them when used with medical jutsu.

Naruto's voice called them out of their conversation. :"Oi! Kakashi-sensei, Hinata! Its our turn!"

They hurried to catch up with Naruto, and came to the base of the Daimyo's throne. The Daimyo was a fat man, almost invisible in the massive garb he wore. His face spoke of long decades and far too much stress. His rich garments could have bought a year of kunai for the entire Shinobi corps. Kakashi was glad for the cloth mask that disguised his features, as he did not want the most powerful man in the whole nation of the leafs to see his sneer. Oshima knelt down, and the Shinobi gave small bows. The lord cast his eyes across them and, as Kakashi had feared, his eyes alit on Naruto. "Welcome, lord Keisuke. I am glad that you have come to this gathering again this year."

Oshima nodded his thanks to the massive ruler and replied with much more measured speech than he had used previously. "My lord, I am pleased to have returned. I apologize that I was unable to bring my usual shipment of wines to the gathering, but I am afraid that this year's harvest was much poorer than usual. I could not afford the Shinobi to guard the shipment."

"Surely this team could have guarded you and the shipment on their own, Keisuke? They look very competent." Naruto's chest puffed out, and Kakashi fought down the urge to strangle Kyuubi's container. "Hatake Kakashi's team, containing the young geniuses of Konoha. You must feel very lucky to have such a team guard you, Keisuke."

Kakashi bowed their thanks and kicked Naruto in the leg subtly. The boy glared at him, but acknowledged his sensei's tacit instructions. Hinata gave them a concerned look, but Keisuke smoothed the whole thing over. "I am afraid that even such a wonderful group should not be overtaxed by having the added hindrance of a caravan."

The Daimyo nodded, and that was that. They were quickly escorted away, but Kakashi could feel the Daimyo's intent focused squarely upon Naruto. _'I was afraid that this would happen.'_

- - - - - - - - - -

The middle of the night was surprisingly quiet in the Daimyo's abode. Although the palace was full to bursting with minor nobles, many of whom were uproariously drunk after the opening ball of the meeting, by the time that the clock struck one, there was not a peep throughout the whole palace. Naruto sat on his bed, head in his hands, and concentrated hard on the ceiling, hoping he would fall asleep soon. Kakashi was outside in the hallway, watching the door and Hinata was on guard in Oshima's sitting room, guarding the only entrance to his room.

The quiet was almost stiffening and, used to the noise of the Hidden Village's slum, he was unable to fall asleep. Meditation and years of living in the middle of nowhere did him no good, as he slowly failed to wrestle sleep into submission. With a grunt of frustration, he threw himself from the bed and pulled on a new change of clothes. He picked up his equipment and walked into the common room of their suite.

The room was dark, and Naruto decided it was best that he leave the lights off, since Sasuke was unlikely to take kindly to having a light come on in the room next to his, and Naruto desperately did not want to wake Oshima.

His first warning was a whisper of silk on wood. He dropped to the floor and rolled behind the kitchen island in their kitchenette. Seconds later, two kunai rocketed into the wall behind where he had been standing. He drew two senbon from his holster and sent them in the direction of the attack with a flick of his wrist. Two wooden thunks informed him that neither of his attacks had struck home.

_'Tiger seal. Dragon seal. Monkey seal. Bear seal. Tiger seal.' _Naruto's hands flew through seals, and he conjured up his vast stores of chakra. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

His clones popped into existence and immediately spread out. Naruto rolled out from under his hiding place and looked towards the now-open window. Crouched just beneath the sill was a woman dressed in black with her face covered. _'Shit. An assassin.'_

A well-trained assassin was a threat to a genin. While they were nothing compared to most shinobi, they were normally quite good at stealth and taijutsu. One of Naruto's clones charged, and the assassin put a kunai straight through its throat, eliminating the clone. Naruto pulled two more senbon and hurled them towards the assassin. She dodged out of the way, but her adjustment gave one of Naruto's clones time to close and attack. Naruto himself ran towards the assassin, and as she slashed the clone's arm, making it disappear, he formed a common three-seal pattern. He stuck a needle into the back of the assassin's calf. A moment later, her knife crashed into a vase, making a large crash. "How do you like Kawarimi no Jutsu?"

The assassin was not impressed. A second knife cleared her belt and she charged at him. He caught her first slash and a clone crashed into her, sending her crashing into a wall, but before he could maximize on the situation, she was back on her feet. Before Naruto could even blink, she had pushed him to the floor and was holding a knife at his throat. He caught the assassin's hand, but her strength was greater than his. His last clone charged the assassin, attempting to save the original Naruto, but it was dismissed with a kick in the stomach.

The knife loomed closer and closer, and Naruto felt his chest clinch in panic. He closed his eyes, putting all of his presence into warding off his impending doom. Finally, his arms gave out, and he relaxed, accepting his fate.

_'Thunk!'_

A great weight fell on Naruto's chest, and he let out his breath, expecting that the pain would end in a moment. "N-Naruto-kun? Are y-you alright?"

He cracked an eye and saw Hinata standing over him, concern etched into her features. Her hand was stretched forward in a classic Jyuuken position and the assassin was sprawled across his chest. "Y-yeah. Thanks, Hinata."

Hinata said nothing, but she relaxed, and so Naruto stood. "Is she…"

He was unable to finish his sentence, as his mind failed to wrap around the idea that the small Hyuuga could have killed his attacker. "N-no! I j-just knocked her out!'

They tied the woman up, and Hinata brought Kakashi in from the door. Kakashi shooed them out of the room, telling them to guard Oshima's room. They quickly obeyed, and Naruto slumped down against the wall and breathed deep. "That was close…"

Hinata hit the ground beside him with a light thump. To his shock, tears were pouring out of her eyes. "Hinata? What's wrong?"

"N-Naruto-kun…"

She fell against him, sobs wracking her body. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and patted her back. "It's ok. I'm ok. No one was hurt."

"W-When I saw you there… I-I thought I was too late. Y-You looked like you were already dead."

He said nothing, letting her sobs slowly quiet down and die. After ten minutes or so she stopped and it was silent. "I-I must look so weak t-to you. Crying w-when you are right there."

Naruto shook his head. "Definitely not. If anyone is weak, it's me. I couldn't even take care of myself against a simple assassin. If it weren't for you I would be dead by now."

He was surprised when she pushed away from him and shook her head as adamantly as he had. "We can't always win, Naruto. That's why we train. Just because someone out there beats you once doesn't mean that you will always lose. You can't give up, be proud, and learn from your mistakes."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah… A proud failure, eh Hinata?"

"Yeah."

Neither of them said anything else as they sat and watched the door. Eventually, Naruto felt consciousness slip away from him, and he fell into a deep sleep.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Kakashi _hated_ interrogations. They were messy, frustration, and they rarely produced any useful information at all. So far as he was concerned, interrogating prisoners hindered most missions. However, interrogation was protocol, and violating protocol was something you only did when you had to. "Who were you after?"

The assassin spat in his face, and he wiped the spittle away. "Not gonna help. Who were you after?"

His question was given extra weight when he pulled a shuriken and began sharpening it on his fingernails. The assassin glared at him and he shrugged at her look. "Listen… I really don't want to actually hurt you. I dislike torturing people. It's normally a waste of time, and I have to clean up after it. If you tell me who you were after, I break your neck cleanly and you die painlessly. If you don't talk I torture you, and you die very, very painful."

Real torture didn't work, he knew, but if he didn't threaten then the assassin would know his heart wasn't in it. Torture was as likely to make her tell him she was after him for an autograph as it was to make her tell him her real target. She said nothing and Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Whatever…"

Her glare grew more intense and her jaw worked for a moment. _'Oh shit…'_

Before he could get over to her, a small click sounded, and she slumped forward, foam dripping from her mouth. Kakashi sighed. He had forgotten to check for poisoned teeth before he began his interrogation. He shrugged. He hadn't expected to get anything from her anyway. "That's the breaks, I guess."

It really didn't matter who she had been after, since, as far as Kakashi was concerned, it didn't change their reaction. There were four prime targets with them, and since three of the four were capable of taking care of themselves, he was only really concerned about Oshima. Therefore, they would tighten security around their primary target and he would make sure that the team always moved in a group of three. In the meantime he would run back to Konoha to get a new team assigned to the mission since his team was clearly not enough on their own.

He sent the assassin's corpse out of the window, knowing that the royal guard would take care of it without looking into the matter any further, and shucked his pack. Before he left, he stuck his head into Oshima's sitting room to let Naruto and Hinata know that he was leaving and to warn them to get Sasuke to cover for them so that they could sleep. There was no time like the present to get going.

He was amused to find Hinata asleep, leaning against Naruto's shoulder and Naruto asleep with his head resting on top of Hinata's. On second thought, he could probably wait a few hours before leaving. It wouldn't be right to… disturb such a peaceful scene. Nothing was going to change for the next few hours.

- - - - - - - - - -

Outside of their suite, Sado Yurika gave a thin smile. It was clear that this team would be no problem at all to eliminate… And then the Kyuubi child was hers for the taking. Oh this was going to be fun…

- - - - - - - - - -

**Author's Notes: **Ok, so rather than taking a few hours, I finished this over the course of three days. I suppose that that is the price I pay for spending more time on the Internet than I actually did writing this. We're into our first serious arc now, and next chapter will bring a nice fight. I hope you're looking forward to it!

All thoughts are welcome. I promise that I'll really try to write faster this time (as if anyone believes me at this point)!

Hope you enjoyed it.

**Author's Second Note: has been making uploading a pain. I finished it on Saturday. Sorry this took even longer.**


	8. Chapter 8: Straight to Hell

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Author's Note: **Only what… 3 months since the last chapter? I win the procrastination award, right? I'm sorry. Really. This chapter has been being written for the last 3 months (albeit, not too much. I _have _been busy). Writer's block has been eating away at me to the point that I was writing 50 words at a time before giving up and going to do something else. (Note, this Author's Note is in its 5th rewrite (more than the actual chapter), to meet with the time that I figured I'd finish the story. That should give you a sense of how many times I've tried to finish this damn thing off. I'm thinking of coming up with some generic form-letter to make my excuses for taking so long to post a chapter)

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter Eight: Straight Hell 

'_There ain't no need for you_

_There ain't no need for you_

_Go straight to Hell boy'_

_The Clash: Straight To Hell_

- - - - - - - - - - -

"Naruto. Naruto, wake up."

Hands jostled Naruto's shoulders, jarring away his sweet dreams of warmth and friendship. Sensation slowly returned to him and he became aware of the fact that the warmth he had felt was not gone. His left side was leaning against something warm and soft, and his head was leaned against the softest, best smelling pillow he had ever had. His eyes slowly opened to a sea of wavy blue. "Huh? Wazzat? Goway, 'mtired."

"Good morning, lover boy.'

Kakashi was leaning over him with a twinkle of amusement gleaming in his eye. "Lover boy? Huh? What?"

His pillow stirred, and he suddenly realized that he was leaning against a person, not a pillow. Confusion and terror did battle for control of his mouth, and terror won out. "Ahh!!"

He jumped a bit, but the weight on his shoulder kept him from moving far. "H-Hinata! Wha?"

Kakashi was openly chuckling at his students. "You know, this sort of behavior is inappropriate on a mission. A shinobi is not supposed to fraternize with his or her teammates."

Hinata chose that moment to crack open her eyes and find herself leaning on Naruto's shoulder. Kakashi gave his students a smirk. "When you two are awake, I need to talk to you."

Hinata squeaked. "N-Naruto-kun?"

Without hesitation, she darted from the room, her face aflame with embarrassment. Naruto, still frazzled from his rude awakening, stared after her, very confused. "Why would she-"

Kakashi let out a hoot of laughter. "I'm sure you'll find out in your own time, Naruto. In the meantime, I think I'll give you your orders now."

Naruto's mind snapped to the events of the previous night, and he felt his embarrassment and confusion drain away. In their place, a feel of cold terror settled into his stomach. "Do we know who attacked us?"

His sensei let out a breath loudly and shook his head. "She didn't have anything to say."

"Damn."

Naruto's word hung in the air, separating teacher and student for a moment. Kakashi nodded his agreement with Naruto's sentiment. "However, we do know that her target wasn't Oshima. If it had been, you would never have been attacked. She would have waited for you to leave."

Naruto bit his lip and said nothing more, holding back the urge to blame himself. _'Hinata and Sasuke are both viable targets for an attack too. You have no proof that the assassin was after you.'_

However, his rational mind had never had as much force as its emotional counterpart, and guilt weighed down on him. "Are any of our directives going to change, Kakashi-sensei?"

"No." Kakashi's countenance was fairly light, which, given the situation, caused Naruto no end of frustration. "This is a fairly important mission for a first mission, so we can't afford to abandon it yet. What we're going to do is follow the book. We're going to send one member of the team to get backup and the other team members are going to be very careful."

Naruto let a burst of his old enthusiasm out from behind his mask of seriousness. "And I get to go, right, Kakashi-sensei? After all, I'm the fastest member of the team!"

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled Naruto's hair, earning him a glare from his student. "I'm sure Sasuke would have something to say about that. No, Naruto, I'm on this team too, you know? I will be going, since I can make the best time. In the meantime, Hinata is in charge, and you should all be very careful."

"Why Hinata?"

"Take a wild guess, Naruto."

A few moments later Hinata returned, her face still bright red, and Kakashi repeated the orders to her. After he finished, Kakashi gave them both a big grin, flexing his mask strangely. "When I return, I'll make sure to have my shinobi rule-book on hand so I can read the two of you the section on inappropriate fraternization. I'm very disappointed in you, you know?"

He winked with his one visible eye and made his way towards the door. Naruto raised a hand and waved it around for a moment. "Wait, Kakashi-sensei! What about Sasuke?"

"Did you think I left Oshima-sama without a guard? Sasuke is guarding him right now. I spoke to him before you woke up. If you hadn't decided to have a lie-in, I would have already left here." Kakashi gave them one last wink of his eye, and then left the room.

There was silence in the room for a moment, and Naruto felt a sense of discomfort wash over him. He turned to Hinata, face mildly red. "Ne, Hinata…"

However, his only answer was silence. Hinata had already departed the room, no doubt seeking to avoid the conversation that Naruto had been trying to begin. Naruto shrugged and shook his head. "I don't think I'll _ever_ understand her…"

That was when a massive wave of chakra washed over him, taking away all of his confusion and embarrassment. "Sasuke!"

- - - - - - - - -

_'The next bastard who comes to tell me what an honor it is to meet me is going to experience first-hand _why _the Uchiha clan was so feared.'_

Uchiha Sasuke was in no way fond of fan-people, whether they were politicians or obnoxious girls. The obnoxious bleating of sycophants of any kind was almost enough to drive him over the edge. _'Stupid, stupid Kakashi. I don't _care _if Naruto or Hinata was attacked last night, you should have woken one of them up. I can't do my job effectively like this. Oshima-sama may as well have no guard at all.'_

"So many new and interesting faces, eh Uchiha-san?" Oshima gave the boy a benevolent smile, as though he were giving Sasuke an immense honor. "It is rare that _anyone _gets to meet so many important people in one place."

Sasuke gave him a nod, keeping his jaws clenched tightly on the curse that he wanted to bestow upon his benefactor. _'And a good thing too, since if anyone got to meet this many important people, they would probably put a kunai through their slimy, poisonous mouths. I _hate _this shit.'_

Oshima took his nod as a confirmation. "It's a pity, though… I was hoping that Naruto would also get a chance to meet all these people. They would all find him _so_ interesting. What did you say happened to him? He came down ill? Poor boy."

"Yes, Oshima-sama. Naruto had a very upset stomach this morning. Hinata and Kakashi-sensei are going into town to get him some medicine. They should be back soon." Sasuke felt a severe expression attempting to creep across his face, and he clamped down on his anger. It was disgusting, the way that the noble was clearly manipulating Naruto, using him as a political tool for his personal advancement.

Oshima gave him a sympathetic look and turned towards a well-dressed couple who were whispering and pointing to Sasuke. "Oh! Nakada-san! There's someone who you really ought to meet. This is Uchiha Sasuke… You know, the _last Uchiha_."

The couple giggled and fawned over Sasuke. Nakada, who was apparently lord of the territory north of capital, and his wife, a flighty, giggling creature who seemed to have nothing in between her ears, seemed particularly interested in Sasuke's progress in "restarting" his clan. They offered to introduce him to their daughter, but he begged off, saying that he had to contact his mission leader for an update. Oshima gave him a disappointed look, but Sasuke slipped away.

He moved into a small recess in far wall of the Daimyo's ballroom and put on the communication device that Kakashi had issued Team 7 at the start of the mission. He was about to call Naruto to nag him to come cover for Sasuke, when a hand descended on his shoulder. A crystal-clear voice chimed out, "Hello, my dear. You looked so uncomfortable talking to Nakada-san. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Sasuke jumped and whirled, surprised that anyone had managed to sneak up on him. Behind him was a beautiful woman with long black hair. She gave him a smile, and giggled at his obvious surprise. "He can be a bit… offsetting, can't he?"

She waved to Oshima as he glanced over, and he waved back to Sasuke, giving him a wink that was clearly intended to be encouraging. Sasuke tried not to roll his eyes and gave a small nod. However, as her had tightened slightly on his shoulder, he felt something very wrong. The woman, not noting his concern began chattering about the nobles who had accosted Sasuke earlier. "You know, Nakada-san's son is studying at the ninja academy. He doesn't approve, of course, but the boy was insistent. That's probably why they're so interested in you. After all, Nakada-san -"

The room gave a gasp as Sasuke pulled out two kunai and rammed them into the woman's stomach. Their shock grew when, rather than toppling to the ground dead, the woman was replaced with a nearby chair. Sasuke sneered, and with a look of utter distaste, ground out, "Nice try."

A shriek rang out through the room, and nobles began to stampede, heading for the nearest door or shelter. As they ran, the woman dropped from the ceiling, landing a few feet from Sasuke, who leapt back, clutching a kunai in front of him. The formal robes she had been wearing were gone, replaced with generic, black shinobi clothes. "How did you know?"

"Easy. You walk like a shinobi." Sasuke brought his kunai up at an angle, and prepared for the attack he knew was coming. "Most nobility walks completely wrong. Must be from sitting around all day."

It was true. Shinobi were trained, from the beginning of their training, to walk properly, with their knees neither too far in nor too far out. Any other form of movement was too risky for a ninja. A person's hips and knees could only take so much abuse before they stopped functioning properly. Most nobility, on the other hand, walked with the duck-footed grace of those who couldn't be bothered to work out.

The woman, however, had lost interest. She procured three senbon from her pouch and threw them at Sasuke. To his surprise, the needles all passed to either side of him. Immediately, alarms began to go off in his head. His suspicions proved to be correct when the woman began to form seals. "Doku Kyuushuu no Jutsu!"

Sasuke felt weakness settle into him, burning into his skin. His muscles slowly relaxed and he fell to the ground. The woman smiled coldly. "So much for the famed Uchiha survivor. In the end, you are still no better than a genin."

"How? You," Sasuke paused, struggling to breathe in again as his chest muscles mutinied against him, and finally pulled in enough air to continue. "You never hit me."

She kicked him lightly in the ribs, flipping him over, so that he faced her, and pulled two more senbon from her pouch, pointing them at Sasuke's throat. "No, I didn't. That's the beauty of my technique. I use a contact-based topical anesthetic, so it only has to touch your skin. Now shut up and die. You won't feel a thing."

Her needles descended quickly, and Sasuke felt a rush of fear fill him. _'No. Not like this. I can't die yet. I still have to have my revenge. I can't be killed this easily. I won't let Itachi walk away!'_

In his desperation, he felt for his chakra, going through Kakashi's concentration exercises unwittingly. In a wash of energy, he felt some strength return to his limbs, and weakly rolled over, avoiding the descending needles by mere centimeters. He limply returned to his feet, panting with exertion. "I'm not done yet."

He got no response, as the woman did not pause to allow him to breathe. In a flash of motion, she was stabbing towards him with a senbon. The weapon passed within inches of his face, and he felt a rush of air brush by his cheek. He stepped back into a solid stance and attempted to throw a punch at his assailant's stomach.

However, before his punch could hit home, she twisted out of the way and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall, where he slid down, losing control of his chakra.

He labored for breath, but no air came. He felt for his chakra, but the gaping void of unconsciousness was fast encroaching upon him, scattering his concentration to the four winds. As his struggle continued, the void slowly swallowed his mind, and he fell into it, the world dissolving around him.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Hinata hurried from her room, losing all sense of embarrassment or humiliation. She heard the door slam shut, and knew that Naruto was already on his way. Sasuke's chakra flared, cluing her in to his desperate situation. She spared a moment to feel grateful to Kakashi for teaching his students to sense their teammate's chakra.

The door fell casualty to a kick that sent it spinning off of its hinges, and she rushed into the hall, stepping over the twisted remains of the door. The halls seemed to constrict around her, filled with the screams and gasps of terrified nobles, who rushed down the hallway, crushing against Hinata, and slowing her progress.

She wanted to scream too, as she felt Sasuke's chakra begin to fade, jolting out of his control, and then disappearing. The crush of the crowd pushed her back, but a tidal surge of anger broke through her inhibitions, and she began to shove back, fighting her way through the mass of gibbering people.

Eventually, she fought her way through and came out of the anarchic hullabaloo that filled the hallway. In the throne room of the palace, she found herself staring at a scene straight out of her nightmares. "S-Sasuke…"

Her teammate was slumped against a wall, breathing shallowly, with his eyes closed. A small trickle of blood ran down his forehead from a split in the skin of his scalp. His skin was turning blue, and her medical research told her that he was slowly asphyxiating.

Worse yet, a few meters away from him, a woman dressed in traditional shinobi garb was stalking towards him, senbon needles at the ready, clutched in her hands to form a claw. Cold terror rushed through her veins, and she activated her Byakugan, hoping to reach the woman before the woman reached Sasuke. However, Hinata had at least 30 meters to cover, and the woman had only three to cover. Hinata knew that the chances of her even reaching kunai-range before the woman reached Sasuke were slim.

Desperation sped her up, moving her closer and closer to her fallen teammate. Still, even her sprint was not bringing her close enough. When the woman was within a step of Sasuke, Hinata pulled a kunai and, praying that she surpassed herself again, hurled the knife with all of her will behind it.

Her kunai flew straight, flashing through the air. Hinata felt her hopes soar, along with the small, deadly, projectile. The kunai, however, had other ideas. Hinata's hopes crashed into the ground, as her kunai clattered against the ground, five meters wide of its target. "Damn!"

The woman's hand rose, and her weapons glinted with the light spilling through the high windows of the throne room. Hinata's breath caught in her throat, a scream trying to tear it's way out, and she shut her eyes.

A sickening splat echoed throughout the room, and Hinata's knees gave out.

- - - - - - - - - -

**Author's Closing Notes: **Well… I'm not too happy with in, but at least I got something done. There are moments I really like, but I felt like I had to force the words onto the page, for the most part. I actually cut off early, and left the next part for the next chapter. I'll have to do another special insert chapter, and go off of my outline again, but I wanted to have something for people to read, since I don't know if I will be able to write the rest soon. Thanks to the people who sent me messages, asking if I would continue. If it weren't for you, I don't know that I would have ever actually got around to writing this part.

I'm hoping that my characterization is improving, but I still feel as though my characters aren't as strong as I'd like. Hopefully, this is just me, but if it isn't, I'll try and spend more time on it in the future. Look out for the Chapter 9: Tearing Everything Down. It's gonna be a good one (assuming, of course, that it actually gets written. I'll try to get a start in on it by Friday, but I make no promises. I may be spending the weekend trying to figure out the status of one of my college applications instead.).

Sorry again (No, really! One of these days I'll actually do what I say I will and finish a chapter on time. Don't hold your breath, though.),

Smertios


	9. Chapter 9: Tearing Everyone Down

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Author's Notes: **The last chapter _was _short. Sorry. I was having trouble finding a good ending. I either had to end it there, or stretch the story out another 4000 words. I thought that readers would probably rather have a chapter now (three hours ago, to be precise, I'm getting to work early because I'm psyched) than wait for another two or three weeks. Besides which, it was far too good a cliffhanger to _not _use.

Anywho, without any further ado, I have the distinct honor of presenting you Chapter Nine of Seeking a Center: Tearing Everyone Down.

- - - - - - - - - -

Chapter Nine: Tearing Everyone Down 

"I'd like to see a change  
I'd like to see a change  
I'd like to see a change, but I'm too busy...  
Tearing everyone down"

Anti-Flag; "Tearing Everyone Down"

Hinata toppled to the ground, terrified to open her eyes. The sound of the horrific splat that had filled the room moments before was echoing in her ears, looping ad infinitum. Someone spoke from the general area of Sasuke's body. "Ow! That hurt, you old hag!"

"N-Naruto?"

Hinata opened her eyes, relief flooding her being. Uzumaki Naruto stood, holding his hand in pain, and glaring at the kunoichi who had attacked their teammate. Her needles had buried himself in the back of Naruto's hand. He spared a glance to Hinata, clutching at his wounded hand. "Hinata! Help Sasuke!"

Hinata nodded jerkily, and dashed towards her downed, compatriot, pulling her rudimentary first aid kit from her kunai holster. She knelt by Sasuke and checked his pulse. His heart was beating fast and shallow, suggesting hard aerobic work. In contrast, his entire body was completely slack, and his breath came in tiny, fast gulps.

The Hyuuga heiress was puzzled by his condition. Sasuke's condition was very similar to the way that victims of the Hakke Rokujyuu Yonshou. None of the muscles in his body were functioning properly, and the muscles needed to draw breath were failing, making him fight for every breath he got.

A quick check with Hinata's Byakugan revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Sasuke's tenketsu were all open, and his chakra was flowing normally. There were no outstanding wounds on him, excepting the small split in his scalp that he had accrued when he hit the wall. His chakra was strong, and almost undepleted. If Hinata did not know better, she would have never guessed he had been in a fight. In fact…

It occurred to her that it was the normal state of his body that was so wrong. For someone who had lost muscle control completely, Sasuke was too uninjured. 'Poison.'

There was no other rational explanation for Sasuke's state. However, the Hyuuga heiress had never seen, or read of, a poison quite like this one. There was no sign of an attack on Sasuke's nervous system, and he did not appear to have any damage done to his brain. Even stranger, whichever poison the woman had used, it hadn't even caused Sasuke any pain.

Now that was strange. In fact, Hinata quickly realized, Sasuke was in no pain at all. Even though he had hit his head, none of the normal reactions to pain were showing up in his chakra. His nervous system didn't seem to be firing at all.

Realization struck Hinata like a speeding shuriken. 'No…'

She ran a finger across Sasuke's forearm, and a light trace of a white powder came off on her finger. In a moment, her finger began to go numb, and she quickly whipped the offending material off on Sasuke's shirtsleeve, reasoning that his condition probably couldn't be made any worse.

It was a clever mix that the woman was using. She had mixed a powerful topical anesthetic with an over-concentrated muscle relaxant. The effect was a deadly mix that caused a person to completely lose control of their body, eventually killing them by stopping their breathing. Worse, a medic-nin wouldn't have any antidotes on hand for a muscle-relaxant or an anesthetic. After all, they weren't used to seeing medical tools used as poisons.

Hinata searched her mind, hoping that something she had read would offer her an antidote to the solution. To her frustration, no answers were forthcoming. She shut her eyes, trying to calm herself, and uttered a phrase that would have stopped the heart of anyone listening to her. "Damn…"

_'If I can't treat the poison, all I can do is treat the symptoms, and wait for help.'_

She felt for her center, and called up a surge of chakra. If she slipped at all, Sasuke was likely to die. With careful precision, she closed three tenketsu near to Sasuke's lungs. He stiffened, and his torso surged upwards unnaturally, but, to her relief, his lungs filled with much needed oxygen. After a moment, she reversed the process, causing Sasuke to breathe out. _'Naruto… Please be okay.'_

**- - - - - - - - - -**

Naruto's hand hurt. A lot. When he had seen Sasuke's attacker raise her weapons to strike, all rational thought had fled from his brain. Rather than hitting the woman away from Sasuke, or attempting to remove Sasuke from the field of battle, he had taken his stand in front of his comrade, taking the blow meant for him. He was really sorry he had. _'Sasuke, you better be damn grateful for this, you lazy bastard.'_

His teammate looked deathly ill, but Naruto didn't have time to focus on Sasuke, as Sasuke's assailant focused her attention on him. Her eyes blazed with malice and frustration. "You little shit! You should learn to stay out of your elder's business!"

"Heh," Naruto's face slipped into an easy smirk. "Just 'cuz you're an old hag doesn't mean I have to respect you. _Nobody _beats Sasuke up… Except me."

The woman charged, darting towards his injured hand, and threw a solid side-kick. He raised the arm to block her strike, but to his dismay, it responded sluggishly, and her kick slipped by, sending him to the floor. He levered himself up with his good hand, and glared. "What the fuck did you do to me?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Not really," Naruto replied, drawing his own senbon from his pouch. "It won't matter once you're down for the count."

He threw the senbon at the poison-mistress, not really concerned with whether or not they struck, and began forming seals. "Kage Senbon no Jutsu!"

The senbon he threw quickly became a massive wave of senbon. His attacker's eyes widened in horror, and for a moment, Naruto thought he had her. In the next second, the woman disappeared, and was replaced with an ornate wall-decoration, which was demolished.

Naruto jumped, knowing to expect an attack, but was met from above. He grabbed his attacker's foot as it descended towards his head, and pushed away, avoiding her altogether. As he fell, he called up his stores of chakra, but as he attempted to form seals, his injured arm flopped uselessly at his side. He slammed into the floor, jarring his leg, and fell to one knee. _'What the hell did she do to my arm?'_

He felt tempted to pass that piece of inner monologue onto the woman, but he decided that nothing was to be gained by asking again. Words were a waste, at this point. Adjusting his stance to cover for his disabled limb, he charged back into combat.

It was clear to Naruto that he was outclassed as his strikes were consistently batted aside. He was too slow, especially one handed, and his form was too simple for him to win. With jutsu ruled out by whatever had caused his arm to go numb, and his taijutsu quickly failing him, he had hit bottom.

The woman slipped a roundhouse inside his guard, and he was propelled off to the side, pain blossoming along his side like electricity racing over his skin. His arm tingled momentarily, and inspiration struck. As the woman formed seals for a jutsu, he rolled off to the side and pulled one of his senbon from its case.

He slammed the needle into his forearm. The pain was muted, as though he had been pinched, but a burst of imaginary fire raced over the arm, like an awakening foot. The woman finished her seals, and a thorny vine shot out of the ground underneath Naruto, propelling him skyward. Before the vine could impale him, he pushed off with both arms (it worked, but his arm was still weaker than the other), and relaxed into a roll, sending a painful tingle through his shoulder, before returning to his feet, hands already forming seals.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A mass of clones appeared, one of them catching him in mid fall. Naruto's face fell into his old, easy smirk, and he charged, feeling the mass of clones around him surge forward with him. "Take this, you bitch!"

The feeling in his arm was fading rapidly, but the clones around him appeared to be fine. They fell into the fray, striking with ruthless efficiency. A rush of relief filled Naruto.

However, his relief was not long-lived. The woman jumped clear of the scrum, and made a gesture with a hand. The vine that Naruto had barely avoided a grisly death upon came crashing down atop him and his clones. He managed to roll out of the way, receiving only a painful gash down his leg, but his clones were crushed. "Fuck"

His arm was completely numb again, and the woman was rushing towards him, rage in her eyes. He turned, hoping to avoid a critical blow, but her fist crashed into his skull, making stars dance in his eyes.

Bonelessly, he collapsed to the ground, his vision dancing in and out of shades of gray. He lay there, helpless and agonized, upon the ground, as the woman stood over him. "Fucking little bastard. You should have run while you still had a chance."

His words caught in his mouth, as she drove a foot into his stomach, forcing all of the air from his lungs in a giant whoosh. "They should have taught you better at your academy. You should never engage in one-on-one combat with your betters. Your stupid ass will get kicked."

He coughed, and blood spewed from his lips, running down his cheek to settle on the ground. Words weren't coming, and his breath was painful in his chest. The woman glared at him. "No reply, eh? Figures. Big talk means nothing when you can't do a thing to defend yourself. You're lucky I'm not allowed to kill you. A joke of a ninja like you shouldn't be allowed to live."

'_No! I'm not useless you damn bitch! I've done so much work, come so far. You just wait!' _Try as he might, Naruto couldn't speak, the pain was too great, and so his thoughts ran a mile a minute, as his vision continued to swim before his eyes.

"Well. I can't kill you, but I can sure have fun with your teammates, can't I? I'll teach you to remember Sado Yurika and her lessons well, midget."

Helplessness rushed through Naruto's veins, sweeping through him like a tide of ice water, freezing his heart in terror. The woman, Yurika rather, turned her back on him, walking towards where Hinata sat by Sasuke, clearly fighting to keep him amongst the living. She was unaware of the threat looming fast behind her. He struggled, calling up all of his energy to force a warning from his lips, but none was forthcoming. "Hiiiiiiii…"

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. He hadn't come back from years of training to watch his friends get killed because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. Hokage's didn't let their people get killed. His inner monologue spun out of control, gibbering like a mouse caught by a cat. Darkness clashed with his vision, making it difficult to see what was happening.

Yurika kicked Hinata in the back, sending her sprawling over Sasuke with a cry of shock. Naruto's vision went black, and the buzzing in his head grew so strong that he couldn't find a coherent thought. Negations filled his head; futilely attempting to dispel this surreal nightmare he had found himself within.

And then, with an audible "pop", it all went out.

- - - - - - - - - -

Naruto was wading through a river against the current, fighting hard against the pounding force of the water, but slowly being pushed down. The water rose higher and higher, covering his head, and he opened his mouth to scream. His only answer was the rush of water that filled his lungs, displacing the air within them.

_He struggled, but the icy claws of darkness took him down and down and down…_

_**"You can't do anything properly, can you, kit?"**_

A booming voice filled his head, and he found himself in a small, dingy room that looked to him to be more of a sewer pipe than a true room. One side was barred off, and on that side, a massive beast, with burning red eyes sat back on its haunches, the foxy equivalent of a smirk across its massive, ugly face. "Who the hell are you?"

_**"Take a wild guess."**_

_"Kyuubi." Naruto felt a rush of anger fill him. This was the beast that had caused Itachi to attack him. This was the beast that had made his father give his life to seal it away in Naruto. This was the beast that had ended any chance he had of having a normal life._

_The monster quaked with laughter, its massive tail swishing back and forth. **"Maybe you aren't as stupid as I thought you were." **_

_"Where are we?"_

_**"Your mind. Or at least the corner that you choose to relegate me to." **The beast gave Naruto a baleful glare. **"It reflects how you feel about me, I suppose. Don't worry, the feeling is mutual."**_

Naruto didn't really care. There was only one thing on his mind. "I need to get back out! Hinata is in trouble! And Sasuke!"

The beast didn't reply for a moment, content to swish its tail and let the boy simmer. **"I didn't exactly bring you in here."**   
"But can you get me back out?"   
The beast chuckled, its throaty laugh filling the room. **"Yes… I suppose I do."**   
"And?"   
Nothing. No reply. "Dammit! Tell me how to get out of this fucking place! Hinata and Sasuke need me!" 

**_"And why should I, Kit? I don't care about your teammates."_**

_"If you don't let me out of here… I'll… I'll…" Naruto glared, frustration filling him with anger. "If you don't let me out of here, I'll die, and you'll go with me. Don't think I won't do it, too!"_

_**"Okay then…"**_

The world around Naruto dissolved, and the beast laughed loudly. Naruto felt the exultation of victory fill him, but a rush of concern consumed it. 'Why do I fell like I missed something there?'

- - - - - - - - - -

Hinata yelped as a foot struck her back. She fell against Sasuke, and felt the foot stomp down on her back. An angry voice above her said, "See, boy? This is what happens."

"N-Naruto." What had happened to Naruto, she panicked. The woman must have hurt him. She struggled to get out from under the foot that was holding her down, but the woman only laughed. "N-Naruto. Are y-you okay?"

There was no response, but an increased pressure on her spine. She reached for a kunai, to attack the foot, but her hand was kicked away swiftly. 'Not good. Come on, Hinata… What would Neji-neesan do?'

Inspiration struck her as she remembered one of the techniques Neji had worked on. Calling up all of her training with Kakashi, she began to shove chakra out of her tenketsu. The energy flowed out, slowly pushing the foot away, and Hinata tried to roll over, to spin the chakra. However, as she did, the chakra forced her away from the floor, flinging her into the air, and snapping her control. She managed to land on her feet, but the forced expulsion of so much chakra had left her weak. Her body felt too weak to stand, and she collapsed to the ground.

Naruto woke up just in time to see her fall. From her vantage point on the ground, the first warning she received was a gut-wrenching growl that came from his direction. She shifted her head, and watched as Naruto rose to his feet. His position was crouched, his face hidden, and his whole body surrounded by a glowing aura. 'Naruto… What happened to you?'

As his face rose, she realized that there was something very wrong with her teammate. His eyes were filled with a feral hunger, blazing red, and the small birthmarks on his face (which she thought were adorable) had grown into massive slashes of brown on his cheeks. However, more than anything, what bothered Hinata was that there was something very wrong about him. Gone was the happy, hyperactive boy who she cared for. In his place all that remained was a vicious hunter, hungry for his next meal.

He charged, waves of chakra splintering the finely polished dance floor where his feet fell. "Yurika… Die!"

Yurika's (she supposed that was the woman's name) eyes widened in horror, and she clumsily raised an arm to fend off Naruto's berserker rush. In a blink of the eye, his hands (both of which were in perfect working order) slammed into Yurika's stomach, doubling over. He followed up with an inner-edge crescent kick, which snapped the woman's head to the side, and finished his combination by grabbing her shoulder, and sending her spinning to the ground.

She fell heavily, and Naruto was upon her in a moment, hands around her throat. His eyes still had the same feral look to them, and his face twisted into a cruel, hungry, smile. Yurika was quickly turning blue from lack of oxygen. 'Naruto would never do this. Naruto would be horrified to think that this was happening. I've got to stop him!'

:"Naruto! Stop!"

The words burst from her throat, free of any stammer or insecurity. Her voice was hard steel, commanding his immediate cessation. To her shock, his eyes cleared of their red film, and the aura faded. "Hinata?"

He loosed his hands from around their assailant's throat, and stumbled back, horror in his eyes. The woman, who had since passed out from lack of oxygen, collapsed heavily down to the floor, her head bouncing off of the polished wood.

"What… What did I do?"

Hinata's heart went out to Naruto when she heard him speak. His voice was full of disgust and terror, and he was shaking. "N-Naruto"

He looked at her, and his eyes brought a new wave of empathy to her. They looked so empty, so terrified. "I- I'm sorry… I don't know what I did. What happened?"

"I d-don't know."

She wanted to go on, to tell him that it hadn't been him, that something must have happened to him, but before she could speak, a loud voice interrupted them. "Monster!"

The Daimyo, his face as hard as steel and as cold as ice, entered the room, surveying the scene. Behind him, his troupe of bodyguards, all armed with longbows, were standing with forbidding looks on their faces. "So… You thought you would break the peace of this gathering and kill an innocent bystander, did you, monster?"

Naruto shook his head, "No I-"

"I didn't give you permission to speak, you filthy creature." The Daimyo raised a hand, and his guards pointed their weapons at Naruto. "You ruin my conference with your violence! You assault an attendee, nearly killing her! You expect me to hear your excuses?"

Hinata did not know what was wrong. When they had met with the Daimyo before, he had seemed calm, if a little too focused on Naruto. This angry man made no sense. "S-Sir… He just."

The Daimyo shook his head. "Do not worry, child. He will be punished for his actions! Guards."

The men advanced on Naruto, who was slumped in defeat. Clearly the shock of having lost control was still affecting him. When he was surrounded, two stepped forward to tie his hands together. Hinata futilely tried to protest his mistreatment. "But, she –"

The man's expression became a mockery of empathy, as he stared down in what he must have believed was kindness. "Yes. I know. She was nearly killed. Still, I cannot dispense justice in an informal setting. He must be tried before I punish him adequately."

Hinata would have said more, but exhaustion overtook her, and she slept.

- - - - - - - - - -

**Author's Notes: **Okay! This was finished pretty quickly. Good stuff. I'm sorry if the fight seemed a bit brief, but the characters are so limited in their abilities that I was running low on creative combat ideas. As it was, I thought it was pretty good, if short, and it avoided getting repetitive (which was my primary goal in keeping it short).

As you can see, the team has had its first combat encounter, and showed that it could survive an attack by a stronger ninja. To be fair, it had nothing on the trial by fire that Team 7 faced against Zabuza, but this team isn't quite as strong over-all yet. Don't worry, they'll get there.

In the next chapter: The battle is over, but now Naruto faces an even greater threat. Can the injustice of a leader with unchecked power be defeated by a team of genin? Will Kakashi return and save the day? Why is the Daimyo acting this way? All those questions and more will be answered in the next chapter of Seeking a Center: Seeking a Center 10: Stand Up

See You Then!

Smertios


	10. Chapter 10: Stand Up

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Author's Notes: **Not much to say here yet. I know a few people caught my big fuck-up a few chapters back where I reversed Sakura and Hinata. I'll go in and do necessary edits after I finish my first run through this story, but I'm gonna try to keep forward momentum for now. As I said before, I'm writing without a Beta, so errors _will _occur. I do my best, but I'm only human, and most of these chapters get written in random time-slots where I'm not busy with anything else, so finding an extra time-slot to do a really high-quality read through could require multiple extra weeks on each release, and I really don't think that anyone would appreciate that. I'd get bored of the story if that happened, probably, and then it would never get finished.

And now:

- - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 10: Stand Up 

'_But if I do fight_

_Nothing to fear_

_'Cause I know_

_My friends are here'_

_Minor Threat: Stand Up_

- - - - - - - - - -

Ping

Ping

The repetitive rhythm of a pebble striking a brick wall echoed through the halls of the jailhouse. Naruto, who was tossing the pebble against the wall, gave a great sigh. He had never been so bored and lonely before in his life.

_"Monster!"_

Was he a monster? He certainly hadn't felt very human when he had attacked the assassin. He had been out of control. He could practically _taste_ the blood of his prey. Maybe the Daimyo was right. Maybe he really _was _no better than the Kyuubi.

At the monastery, Naruto had been cut off from the rest of the world, surrounded by monks who's whole lives were spent trying to let go of worldly prejudice. But here, in the real world, he was quickly finding that worldly prejudices might have more substance than he thought.

A rumbling laugh interrupted his train of thought, reminding him that he was no longer truly alone, in his mind. **_'Stupid brat. If you were me, I'd probably kill myself. Honestly, you're sitting here contemplating how wrong it was to defend your teammates. Who cares? It _felt _good.'_**

_'Shut up, furball.' _Naruto thought, his face scrunching up into a furious glare. _'This is all _your _fault. If it weren't for you…'_

Again, the rumbling laugh echoed through Naruto's brain, and he stopped tossing the pebble against the wall to press his hands to his ears. It was a futile gesture, but at least it made him feel better. **_"If it weren't for me, your teammates would be dead, and you would be going to whoever hired that assassin. Show a little gratitude, Kit."_**

It _was _true. Kyuubi had awoken him from unconsciousness, and given him the ability to defeat the woman—Yurika—with little trouble. Still… He felt like he had somehow got the bad side of the deal. **_"Bad side of the deal? Well… If having me stuck up here in your head is significantly worse than the fact that I gave you a direct line into my chakra, that would be true. Honestly… You'd think you'd let a demon into your soul or something."_**

That was it! Kyuubi's mocking joke held a grain of truth in it. Naruto knew from the monks that even a lesser demon, an oni, gained power by disrupting the natural balance of a person's soul. Was he somehow corrupted? **_"Corrupted? No, your idiot father would never have sealed me into you if I could corrupt you. His original seal left me some room for tampering, but even those avenues were closed to me by those damn monks._**

**_To be honest, Kit, the only downside to this deal for you is that you're going to have to deal with me up here in your head. All the damn additional seals that got tacked on to the original seal by those meddling monks mean that you get all the benefits, with none the costs. Hell, they're even trying to turn me _good. _It's disgusting._"**

Naruto felt a satisfied smirk settle across his face. He couldn't imagine a greater irony than having Kyuubi reform himself into a force for good, rather than evil. _'Aw… Does the irony hurt?'_

The beast didn't respond for a moment, and Naruto felt it's temper flare up. **_"I really, really hate you, kid. Or, at least, I would have really, really hated you, if this damn seal would let me."_**

_'Well that's a relief. Here I was thinking you might say mean things about me or something.'_

_**"Listen, brat, I may be being forced to turn good by this stupid seal, but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna let you taunt me. I'm a demon. Pride is in my nature, and even meddling monks with delusions of moral grandeur can't change **_**that_. If you want access to any of my power again, you'd better be damn respectful."_**

_'Whatever.'_

_**'Don't make me come out there.'**_

_'How? In case you hadn't noticed, you've been trapped in there for over a decade.'_

_**'Seriously… Just shut the fuck up.'**_

Naruto felt that moral victory was his, for the moment, and he decided to let his tenant have a moment of peace to lick its wounds. He was relieved to hear that the monks had modified his seal (it occurred to him that there was a reason that he had been asked to take part in so many rituals). After all, even if he _was, _as the villagers said, the Kyuubi, before, the monks would have never let him remain that way.

- - - - - - - - - -

Uchiha Sasuke awoke to the sounds of an argument. "Sarutobi-san, I appreciate your concerns, but you must understand that I cannot let the mo- er boy, that is, loose. He attacked an innocent party-goer!"

Sasuke cracked his eyes open, and found himself in a sterile, white room. On his left, a large cloth screen divided the room in half, and on the other side of the screen, two men were arguing. _'Huh… A hospital?'_

"Daimyo-sama, that was no mere party-goer. Sado Yurika is one of Kusagakure's most feared missing-nin. She is wanted for the murder of three Konoha genin and two Kusa Chuunin. If anything, Naruto did us all a favor!"

Sasuke remembered. The fight had gone badly. Whatever poison the woman had used had left him entirely devoid of strength, and he had passed out. What had happened?

The arguing voices move further down the hall, and a small noise to Sasuke's right almost made him jump out of his skin. "S-Sasuke-san"

Hyuuga Hinata was sitting, looking very pensive, in the corner of the room. Sasuke looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "What happened?"

Her eyes seemed to him to be haunted (if, indeed, such a thing was possible for blank eyes to appear), and when she spoke, it was without her normal stutter. It was as if she was too worried to remember to be nervous. "Naruto-kun… He's been put in jail."

"Wait. What? Back up! How did that happen?"

The Hyuuga Hinata that Sasuke remembered would have cowered away from his interrogation, and flushed bright red. To his consternation, she just nodded. "You had passed out by the time we arrived on the scene. The woman who was attacking you, Sado Yurika, was about to kill you."

He nodded. That much made sense. "What happened to Naruto?"

"Well… He jumped in to defend you. I really don't know what happened in the fight, because I was trying to keep the poison from killing you. Eventually, Naruto-kun must have ended up being defeated, because she attacked me. I was in real trouble, but somehow Naruto-kun got back up. But there was something wrong with him."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He had always been of the opinion that there was something wrong with Naruto, but he didn't think that Hinata meant that quite the same way he did. "Wrong?"

She paused. For a moment, Sasuke was afraid that he'd scared her into silence. "He… He seemed like an animal. His eyes were red, and he was fighting without any restraint. He seemed to want Yurika to suffer. It was like a predator had replaced him. She had no chance. He was choking her before I had a chance to blink."

"_Naruto_?"

"Yes."

"What happened next?"

He could understand why she looked haunted. Naruto was tough, but he should have been that tough. Hinata, however, wasn't waiting for Sasuke to ruminate upon the subject. "I… I shouted at him to stop, and it was like he was waking up. His eyes went back to normal, and he looked really scared. Before I could say anything else, the Daimyo had him arrested for attacking Yurika."

"That doesn't make any sense." Sasuke felt a rush of indignation on Naruto's behalf. "I smell a rat."

Hinata nodded. "That's what Kakashi-sensei said when I told him what happened."

"Kakashi's back?"

Another nod. "Yes."

"Was it him who was arguing with the Daimyo out there?"

She shook her head, looking more impressed than anything else. "No. That was the Hokage. Apparently there were no teams free for action, so the Hokage came here to back us up until a team was freed up. I-it's a good thing that he came, too."

"Hn. Has he had any luck yet?"

"No," she said, her face displaying an utterly uncharacteristic scowl. "The Daimyo is c-convinced that Naruto-kun started the fight, even though there are witnesses saying otherwise."

Sasuke frowned, and tried to get up. However, as he tried to lift himself up, his arms gave out. With a yelp, he fell back down onto the hospital bed. Hinata said, "Kakashi-sensei says it will be a couple more days before the poisons fully wear off. For now, you should just rest."

"Gah… Stupid Kakashi-sensei. I need to help that dumbass before his big mouth gets him killed."

Hinata looked more pensive, and Sasuke immediately felt a rush of contrition. "Hn. Sorry. That was unnecessary."

She said nothing, looking paler than Sasuke had ever seen her. Eventually, he relaxed back onto his bed completely and stared at the ceiling. They fell into an uneasy silence, both consumed in worry about their teammate.

Sasuke hated the helplessness that bubbled up in his stomach, powerlessness consuming him. _'Naruto… You'd better be alright, you bastard.'_

- - - - - - - - - - -

One of the things that was taken for granted in Konoha was that Hatake Kakashi's patience was almost infinite. He, and he alone, was able to sit and listen to Maito Gai rant for hours without batting an eyelash. He, and he alone, could sit out of vision of whomever he was currently supposed to be meeting with, and wait for them to become fed up without giving away his location.

The key word was _almost _infinite. It had now run out. It was unfortunate for Lord Oshima that he was the first witness to such an event. "Really, Kakashi! Do calm down. Surely the Daimyo has made a simple error. It will be corrected shortly, no doubt."

_'If I kill him and get myself stuck in jail, maybe I could break Naruto out with me… Nah. Gai would never let me live it down.'_

He continued to pace, but he turned his good eye towards his client, all levity or amusement vacant from it. "Kindly sit down and shut up. As long as I remain within the terms of my contract, which in no way requires that I follow your orders, I will act as I please."

Oshima huffed and sat down, a sulky glare on his face. Kakashi resumed his pacing, fists balled at his sides. _'I hate being stuck in the middle of these politics. Power always means that the little guy gets overlooked. There's a reason that they wouldn't make any of the Fourth's students Hokage. Rin's not got a use for the villages at all, Obito… Well…. And I would rather put a hole in a noble than bother to negotiate with him._ _Poor Naruto.'_

Kakashi didn't know what the Daimyo hoped to gain by holding Naruto. The boy was too irrelevant to be held as a hostage (besides which, shinobi had a habit of eliminating leaders that held their comrades hostage), and too sullen to be made into an ally after this. Short of turning the boy over to some power-hungry missing-nin… _'No…' _

That was too farfetched. The Daimyo knew better than to provoke the Hokage like that. Sure, there were new organizations like… Akinichi, was it? No… He was sure it was something like that, though. But none of them could ever get close enough to the Daimyo to con him into one of their plans.

Before he could chase that train of thoughts any further, Sarutobi entered the room, and sank into a chair with a sigh. The old man seemed more tired than usual, and his eyes blazed with anger and frustration. Kakashi carefully picked his words, and queried, "I take it that the Daimyo was unwilling to let Naruto out?"

"That would be an understatement," replied the Hokage, with a hard edge to his voice. "The Daimyo had the courtesy to inform me that he would not let me shelter my ninjas from their actions any longer, and that I was his subordinate, and so I had best leave the issue to him."

In the past, that might have been cause for a coup, then and there. The Kages of the great nations were the real powers behind the thrones. For the most part, they left the day-to-day operation of the great nations to their Daimyos, since their first duty was to their shinobi. To inform one that he was a subordinate to the Daimyo would have been to place the Daimyo's neck in a noose, in past years.

However, it was a new era, and the nobles had to be convinced that they had power, so that shinobi could continue to function under the radar. The secret wars had left countries so ravaged that, in order to keep citizenry from revolting, the Kages had to keep the Daimyos on their side, so that they had a sympathetic figurehead.

Kakashi still could not restrain his hiss of disapproval. "Are you absolutely _sure _we can't just blow the damn jail up and high tail it out of here?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "There's something wrong here, and I need to figure out what that something is before we can do anything else."

"Has the Daimyo ever shown any signs of acting this way in the past?"

"No." The Sandaime replied. "That is exactly why I want to find out what is going on before moving forward. The Daimyo has always contented himself to sit on his throne and deal with domestic issues. The petty nobles have, occasionally, given him more control over our Shinobi, but we have always told him that we will not submit to those powers, and he has not been bothered."

Kakashi let that settle into his head. _'Stupid, useless, nobles born with a silver kunai in their hands. You'd have to take a Ninja's control away before he would betray his people.'_

That wasn't really to say that it never happened. Kakashi and every other Konoha shinobi knew the tale of Orochimaru, and Uchiha Itachi's departure had left deep marks in Konoha's Shinobi-corps. _'Orochimaru… Marks… Why do those push a button?'_

Kakashi was struck like a thunderbolt. "Hokage-sama, do you remember Orochimaru's curse-seals? What if something like one of those was used on him?"

Sarutobi's weathered face wrinkled in thought. "Not likely. Only a noble would be able to get close enough to the Daimyo to apply a seal to him. None of the nobles would have dealings with Orochimaru."

The Hokage's negation brought a fresh wave of frustration surging through Kakashi. He turned to ask his charge what he thought on the matter. "Oshima-sama, what do you-"

The man was gone. Kakashi blinked, his visible eye growing wide. "Fuck."

- - - - - - - - - - -

Naruto looked up as footsteps echoed down the stone hallway, startling him from a light sleep. The footsteps quickly drew close, and Naruto stood up, expecting another visit from the raving Daimyo. "Psst. Naruto."

He jumped. "Who's there?"

A face appeared in the grate in his door. "It's me, Naruto. Oshima."

"Oshima-san!" Naruto's face lit up at seeing the man who had shown such interest in him. "Boy am I glad to see you!"

His door scraped open, and the noble gestured at Naruto to follow him quickly. "There's no time to waste. The Daimyo will notice I am gone in a moment and he will know to look to you."

**_"Huh. Who would have thought that a useless, fat bureaucrat would do something useful with themselves?"_**

_'Shut up, whiskers."_

Kyuubi's growl made Naruto flinch. **_"Whiskers? Kit, I'm a fox, not a kitten."_**

****Naruto nodded his thanks to Oshima, and they began to move down the hallway quickly. _'You're as harmless as a kitten, though, aren't you? Lord of Demons my ass.'_

No growling this time. Kyuubi let out a roar of rage. **_"In my time I have eaten a MILLION of your people."_**

Naruto's stomach growled, as if in response to Kyuubi's roar, and Oshima cast him an amused look. He reached into a pocket and pulled out an apple, which he handed to Naruto. Naruto smiled in gratitude. "Thanks. Where are we meeting my team?"

The man gave him an uncomfortable look, before looking away. Naruto felt a stab of worry. "What?"

"Your, uh, team… They don't know I'm here." Oshima's eyes seemed to convey a deep and urgent pity. "I snuck you out. They left after your Hokage arrived."

"They wouldn't leave me!"

Oshima said nothing, but stared at him in sorrow. Naruto's head raced. _'How? Hinata was there. She knows that I wasn't at fault. Was it because of Kyuubi? Do _they _think I'm a monster too?'_

Pain lanced through his heart, and he wanted to break down and cry. He had thought that the Hokage, at the very least, would stand by him, rather than leaving him to rot in the Daimyo's jail.

Kyuubi, however, was having none of that. **_"If they left you alone, you don't owe them any concern."_**

_'When did you turn into a counselor?'_

_"**Shut up and go back to brooding. You're less annoying that way."**_

Feeling the creature's presence as a comfort (albeit, he realized, a rather ironic one), Naruto managed to steel his trembling lower-lip, and clear his watering eyes. "Where do I go from here, then?"

Oshima patted his shoulder. "Good man. An effective leader always looks for opportunity in setbacks." He paused, clearly searching for words. "I was thinking… There are some shinobi who I know who are looking for a sharp recruit with fighting skill. I might be able to get you an introduction with them."

"Really?"

Naruto felt a spark of hope fill him. He smiled, confident that there was still a chance for him. His mentor nodded. "Definitely. I couldn't let talent like yours go to waste, could I?"

Naruto beamed at him. "Count on it!"

- - - - - - - - - -

Sarutobi relaxed, as his seal went into effect, capturing and restraining the seal on the Daimyo's neck. The man slumped forward, eyes wide. Kakashi finished tying up the last of his guards, and gave the Hokage the all-clear signal.

Sarutobi nodded his thanks to the one-eyed jounin, and guided the Daimyo to a nearby seat. "I'm sorry that this became necessary, Takashi."

The Daimyo shook his head jerkily. "No, Sarutobi. It was necessary. Whatever that, that _thing _was, it was terrible. Thank you."

"How did it come to be on you?"

It was as if a switch had been flipped in the Daimyo's brain. He sat upright and hissed, "Oshima!"

Kakashi's head snapped around, from where he stood, keeping guard, his eyes centering on the Daimyo. He snapped. "How? We were guarding him closely!"

"The night before the attack. He came to my rooms in the middle of the night, begging an audience. I had to grant it." Said the Daimyo, looking sheepish. "I owe him a number of political favors, you know, Sarutobi. When he entered my rooms, he looked mildly ill, and so I gave him a moment to collect himself, and I sent my guard after water for him."

Sarutobi winced. Sending away his only bodyguard hadn't been a particularly bright decision. "Go on."

"When… when the guard left, Oshima… Changed. One moment, he was the hard-working farmer who I've known for so many years. The next. He was a monster. It was like someone had taken a human and drained all the color from them. And his tongue… It was hideous. Long. Like a snake's. His neck extended suddenly, and I felt a pain in my neck, and then I was no longer in control."

The Sandaime drew in a breath quickly. "Orochimaru."

Kakashi, looking as though one of his summoning dogs had been hit by a wagon, nodded. "He wants Naruto, then?"

The Hokage hesitated for a moment. "Kakashi. Stay here and guard the Daimyo with your life, until his guards awaken. I will trust the Hyuuga heiress to guard Uchiha-san. I will find Orochimaru and, I fear, Naruto."

"Yes sir."

No more words were necessary. Sarutobi was out the door before the Daimyo could blink.

- - - - - - - - - - -

**Author's Notes: **I'm gonna take the time to address a couple of questions that I thought probably needed an answer that wasn't going to come in the story eventually:

There was an interesting question about Naruto's response to killing and the life of a Shinobi. I am of the opinion that it is best to remember that for all of Naruto's training; he's still a kid. Children tend to have very idealistic views of the world. It is fair to think that he might not be horrified by killing someone who deserved it, once he had time for rational thought, but he did not. What I wrote was Naruto's gut reaction, which was fear.

Moreover, Naruto feared the loss of control, as much as the actions he committed while out of control. A large part of Naruto's psyche depends on him _not _deserving the mistreatment he receives at the hands of the villagers. If the line between him and Kyuubi becomes blurred, he looses that innocent standing. Beyond even that, _nobody _likes being totally out of control. It is the nature of human beings to seek to be in control. Heck, part of the meaning of the title of this story is that, to have control over your life, you have to have a center. Naruto's center has been drastically imbalanced by his loss of control. That is, in and of itself, a truly terrifying thing to happen.

Lastly, I would cite Naruto's response to the battle on the bridge in the original series. He is unable to kill Haku, when Haku asks him to. Clearly, Shinobi Rules aside, Naruto is troubled by the idea of killing someone. That too, is a purely natural thing. It doesn't fit with basic human instinct to _want _to kill another human outside of self defense or defense of an extension of the self. People, who _do _want to, are generally considered to be sociopaths.

And Sasuke is on Naruto's team because I felt that his relationship with Sasuke was an important part of the character that Kishimoto created, and that it was also an important part of Naruto's slow growth as a person. Sasuke's actions cause Naruto to grow up. This whole story is about growing up (once again, another important part in finding your center).

A faster update than might be wise, I'm afraid, but I'm hoping that my writing was up to the task. If things are weaker than normal, it's because I wrote this very fast, and so I didn't spend as much time thinking about it as I probably ought to have. I hope you enjoyed it all the same.

Smertios

- Hmm… wasted a page on footnotes to the story. I'll try not to do that again in the future, but I wanted to answer those questions.


	11. Chapter 11: Rough Trade

Seeking a Center 

**By Smertios**

**Authors Notes: **The good news is that I'm updating, after God knows how long. The bad news is that I expect terrible writer's block to set in soon. I'm hitting the transition between my fully original first battle arc, and my step into cannon events (sprinkled liberally with original scenes, and maybe an original arc or two, if I find a hole I need to plug), and, given my history, I'm likely to struggle with the transition. Some stuff got cut from my outline because this arc took on a mind of its own (the original should have been done by Chapter 8), and I need to adjust the story to fit with that, and also try to make everything fit together. If a chapter doesn't appear for a month, it's because I'm having trouble writing a good transition.

I'll cut the cackle now, and get to the actual substance. Enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

Chapter Eleven: Rough Trade 

And I believed every word was true  
Yeah I swallowed every line  
I believed every word he said  
And I didn't find out in time

We were betrayed, betrayed, betrayed,  
Betrayed, betrayed by rough trade lies

Betrayed by lies.

Stiff Little Fingers – Rough Trade

- - - - - - - - - - -

Orochimaru fought to keep his elated smile from showing. His plan had worked out better than he had ever imagined. Upon hearing from his agent in Akatsuki that Itachi's jinchuuriki target had emerged from hiding, he had immediately gone into action. Bringing the naïve jinchuuriki under his wing had been easier than he had ever imagined. _'Which just goes to show that one should never underestimate the power of naivety.'_

The boy, unwittingly walking towards his doom, was whistling while he walked, apparently having forgotten his traumatic discovery of just a few minutes earlier. "Ne. Oshima-san?"

He forced a patronizing smile onto his face and clapped the boy on his shoulder. "Yes, Naruto?"

"Is there ramen where you live?"

_'How can anyone be so focused on one thing?' _The boy was shockingly focused on the noodles that so many people took for granted. Orochimaru found it very grating. "No, my boy, I'm afraid not."

The boy pouted, but immediately changed moods, and began prattling about some new jutsu he was working on. Orochimaru tuned him out; he had little interest in whatever techniques the boy was learning. After all, when he took the boy's body over, what techniques the boy had would be irrelevant. "And then, I told him, 'No, wind jutsu are way too strong to be beaten like that!'"

The boy was annoying, but that would also change when Orochimaru took over. When he had heard that the Kyuubi was within easy reach, he knew that he needed to unleash its power for himself. The power of the Nine-tails was too great for him to ignore. At first, he had planned on obtaining the Sharingan, but he had realized that by acquiring the demon-child he would be able to hunt Sharingan users with greater easy. Besides which, a morsel this easy to acquire was simply too sweet to let slide between his fingers.

Together, the two figures trudged along the path towards the border, unaware that they were not alone.

- - - - - - - - - -

The Sandaime Hokage crouched silently on a branch above them, gazing down at them with a great sense of unease. _'I had thought he had kidnapped Naruto. However, Naruto is following him along as though nothing is wrong. Is he leaving on purpose?'_

Thought, however, was not something he could spare time for. The border was far away, but the closer they got to the border, the likelier it was that Orochimaru would have henchmen to back him up.

Abandoning his post, he leapt to the next branch, drawing three kunai from his holster. A moment later, the three kunai were whizzing towards the back of Naruto's kidnapper's head. Seeing that the man did not respond to the threat, Sarutobi was about to exult, but three wooden thunks informed him that his luck had not been as great as he had hoped. "Damn."

On the ground below him, a log with three kunai in it fell to the ground beside Naruto, who looked at it in shock. "Huh? Oshima-san?"

"Hello, Sensei. It's been a while, eh?" A tongue wrapped around Sarutobi's throat, holding a Kunai to it. A very familiar voice whispered in his ear, "What a pity that we couldn't meet under better circumstances."

"Oshima-sama!"

Naruto made to dash towards them, and Sarutobi took advantage of the distraction to grab the elongated tongue and throw Orochimaru towards the nearest tree. The Sannin stood up. The Hokage was surprised to see that the man had not shed his disguise. Naruto's run didn't stop when his masquerading mentor collided with the tree. Instead, his charge took him straight towards the Hokage. Rather than allow the boy to harm him, Sarutobi leapt over him.

"Naruto! Stay out of this!"

The boy whirled and glared at him with the coldest eyes that the Hokage could imagine. "What? It wasn't good enough to abandon me in prison? Leave. I don't need your so-called help!"

"Naruto, listen to me," Sarutobi saw Orochimaru slide another kunai out. "Things are not as they seem!"

Orochimaru hurled the knife, and Sarutobi slid back away from it. The Sannin followed the kunai with a punch Sarutobi barely evaded, and a kick that slammed him to the ground. He rolled off to the side, hooking a foot behind the pale man's ankle, and pulling him down.

"Like hell they aren't!" Naruto's temper was still on the rise. "I know a betrayal when I see it, old man! If leaving me to rot in prison was not bad enough, attacking the man who saved me certainly is. Kick his ass Oshima-sama!"

'_He actually believes I left him in prison?' _Once again, he barely avoided a back-fist to the bridge of his nose, and slid around a roundhouse. Clearly the fallen-Sannin was taking the wayward Jinchuuriki's advice to heart. It seemed very strange that the boy, who was normally fairly astute, would be fooled so easily. Especially after his "mentor" started throwing kunai around.

However, Naruto was the last of his worries. His thoughts cost him a moment, and Orochimaru slammed a knee into his gut, making stars flash before his eyes. He doubled over and pitched to the ground, coughing out a small amount of blood.

The Snake-Sannin attempted to drive a kick into his side, but Sarutobi managed to catch the foot with both hands, and sent Orochimaru whirling to the ground. As the Sannin rolled over and rose to his feet, Sarutobi took the chance to breathe deeply for a moment. Orochimaru, however, took the break in action as a chance to pitch his own case. "Don't listen to him, Naruto. He betrayed you!"

The boy nodded, grim determination lighting his eyes. When the Sannin spoke, a small flash of chakra appeared around the boy. _'That would explain it, then. Genjutsu. Damn, I'll have to fight it out or break the Genjutsu.'_

The pain in his stomach was bearable again, and so he pitched to his feet. His hands flashed through a set of seals. "Kage Bunshin!"

Naruto wasn't the only shinobi in Konoha to make use of the Kage Bunshin. However, Sarutobi produced far fewer of the shadow clones, lacking the Kyuubi Vessel's extraordinary chakra capacity. The clones charged at Orochimaru with roars of anger. The Hokage, however, took the opportunity to sneak up behind the aforementioned clone user, and attempt to knock him out.

To his chagrin, the boy sidestepped his attack and tossed him over his side to land on the ground in a very undignified manner. Orochimaru, seeing his quarry under attack, dismissed the remaining clones with a few handy kicks and punches (As Sarutobi twisted in midair, he swore he saw Orochimaru stabbing his overly-long tongue straight through one of his clones), stood in between Naruto and Sarutobi. Sarutobi had not been prepared to fall, and the fall had jarred his ribs. His sight flickered, and he gasped for breath as little black particles danced in his vision.

Naruto glared at him, and Orochimaru smirked slightly. The Snake-Sannin pulled two fresh kunai and moved in for the kill. Before he could move more than a foot, he was thrown off of his feet by a flying kick. He toppled, and rolled to his feet, hurling his kunai in the direction of his attacker.

A harsh screech and a clang rang out, and the kunai clattered to the ground, sending up a small puff of dirt. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't let you kill him quite yet. We're still using him."

Uchiha Sasuke, windmill-shuriken in hand, crouched in the middle of the road with a small smirk on his face. Beside him, Hyuuga Hinata was already moving in to do what she could to help the Hokage. Orochimaru gave a gusty sigh. "More nuisances? Run away, boy, I have no use for you yet."

"Pity that. I think that I have a use for you." Sasuke's arrogant streak reared up in indignant anger at being called a nuisance. "I've had a bad week, and I really need a punching bag."

The Sannin merely laughed. "Before you fight me, maybe you had best ask you teammate how he feels about all of this. Why don't you tell them, Naruto?"

The blonde-haired jinchuuriki glared at Sasuke. "I don't care for any of this, Oshima-sama. My team abandoned me before, so I feel no need for their help now."

"We never abandoned you!"

"Bullshit! You left me to rot in that damned jail. Oshima-sama told me everything."

Sasuke glared as his teammate, but his hurt was apparent. "He lied to you! Who are you going to believe, the guy who got us into this mess in the first place, or your teammates?"

Naruto didn't answer, but his face worked, as though he was searching for an answer in vain. Orochimaru chuckled. "It's no use. The boy has no resistance against Genjutsu. I've bent his mind to my will, and it will be some time before he breaks himself free."

"Bastard!"

Orochimaru just shrugged. Without another word, he charged Sasuke, and panic rushed through Sasuke as the pale Sannin closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye. He only had enough time to think two words before Orochimaru hit him like a market-cart hurtling down a hill. _'Oh shit.'_

- - - - - - - - - - -

Naruto had never felt so content in his life. Oshima was right, and everyone else was wrong, and it was that simple. No words or actions could change that fact. Oshima-sama would kill those who had harmed him, and all would be right in the world.

**"Kit! Hey, Kit! Dammit, pay attention."**

_'Not now! I'm busy!'_

That annoying voice had been pestering him for quite some time now. However, it wasn't Oshima-sama, and so it wasn't important at all.

A great gusty sigh rushed through his head, more like a hurricane-breeze than any sigh Naruto had ever heard. **"Dammit, Kit! Fight this. You're being beaten by a simple Genjutsu."**

He mentally shrugged. _'And? I like it. No questions, no suffering, nobody telling me that I'm a monster. No one attacking me, no one turning on me. Everything is right for once. Why do you want to ruin that feeling for me?'_

That was that, as far as he was concerned. The voice could go stuff itself. Naruto was more interested in seeing Oshima-sama kick some ass against the traitors. Already the dark-haired one was on the defensive.

Oshima-sama swung in, his foot connecting with the boy's temple, and the boy toppled. Naruto felt a thrill of exultation rush through him. There _was _justice in the world after all. This provoked an outraged squawk from the voice in his head. **"Hello! That's your teammate, you know?"**

_'No. That _was _my teammate. Oshima-sama is my only teammate now.'_

**"You're disgusting, you know?"**

Naruto smirked. _'Yes, but I'm winning. Now leave me alone, damn fox.'_

If one could _feel _eyes being rolled, that was exactly what the voice (where had damn fox come from?) felt like it was doing. He ignored it and went back to watching his mentor.

The black-haired one was still on the ground, with a bruise growing at his temple. Oshima-sama was now moving purposefully towards the pretty one.

The presence at the back of Naruto's mind seemed to cackle with glee. **"The pretty one, eh? I am going to have **_**so **_**much fun when you snap out of this." **

Naruto didn't even dignify that with a response. It wasn't worth fighting with the damn fox (that phrase again! Where did it come from?). A squeak drew his attention. The pretty one had been kicked away from the old man, who had struggled to his feet to defend her. However, the old man was still weak from his injury. Oshima-sama batted him aside in a moment. He advanced towards the pretty one again. Somehow, this seemed familiar.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_Yurika kicked Hinata in the back, sending her sprawling over Sasuke with a cry of shock. Naruto's vision went black, and the buzzing in his head grew so strong that he couldn't find a coherent thought. Negations filled his head; futilely attempting to dispel this surreal nightmare he had found himself within. _

_And then, with an audible "pop", it all went out._

- - - - - - - - - - -

Orochimaru never even had time to respond to the fist that crashed into his back, catapulting him forward ten feet. He slid to a stop, and whirled, finding himself face-to-face with something straight out of a nightmare. The guile-less young man who he had conned into coming with him had been replaced with a monster. Blue eyes had been replaced with red slits, and his posture had become closer to an animal's than to a man's. **"Don't fuck with my head. Ever."**

The Snake Sannin was forced to dodge as a hand ripped through the space that he had just occupied. To his frustration, the boy's chakra had taken on the aspect of claws around his hand, and one of those claws tore away the skin of his disguise. For a moment, the beast's eyes widened as he saw the pale skin that had resulted from Orochimaru's many experiments.

**"Who the hell are you?"**

"It is appropriate to give one's name first, when meeting someone, Kyuubi. Nevertheless, I am Orochimaru."

The beast sneered at him, pointed teeth gleaming in the light of his chakra. **"I've heard of you."**

"It is good to be k-" Before Orochimaru could finish his sentence, the Kyuubi jumped to attack, sweeping his legs out from under him.

**"I don't care. Now, I just want to kill you."**

Again, the claws tore within an inch of his head, and the beast's foot impacted into his shoulder. Orochimaru, not wanting to damage his new body, quickly sent snakes from his sleeves, forcing the boy backwards, and wrapping around him. "Ku, ku, ku. You shouldn't interrupt. Now, come along quietly, or I end the lives of your teammates."

**"Bite me."**

"In a moment. For the moment, I need your word that you will come quietly."

The boy's face contorted into disgust, and the fire in the red eyes grew. **"I think not." **

In a wash of red energy, the snakes were blown away from the boy, and he dove straight at Orochimaru. _'It does not appear that I can bring him along quietly this time. An expeditious retreat may be in order.'_

Before the boy's attack was complete, Orochimaru jumped up to a branch. Before the boy could whirl around and attack again, he extended his neck outwards like the striking snake he was. In a second, his fangs sunk into the boy's neck, and his Curse Seal was implanted. "Enjoy my gift, boy. If you survive it, you will know true power, and all shall fear you."

The boy's face contorted in pain, and he collapsed to the ground, screaming and clutching at his neck. _'That's strange. I've never seen _that _response before. If only I could bring him with me and observe further. Oh well. I shall know soon enough.'_

Without another word, he disappeared from the trees and began the long run back to his homeland. In the clearing, a scream rang out, as the boy continued to writhe on the ground. "Naruto-kun!"

- - - - - - - - - -

Naruto's head had never hurt so much before in his life. The pain seemed to almost echo, growing and bouncing about as soon as he became aware of it. He whimpered, and squirmed. His neck flared with pain, and a hand tilted his head up, pushing something against his lips. A steaming hot liquid was poured down his throat, and the pain in his head lessened.

After a few minutes of no pain, he risked cracking his eyes open. He was in a hospital of some sort. On his left, a machine was keeping track of his vital signs, and on his right, Hinata was sitting, her face a study in worry. "H-Hinata. What? Where?"

"We are in the Hospital in the Capitol. H-Hokage-Sama brought you back here after your battle with Orochimaru."

Memory flowed back into Naruto's head. "What did he do to me? One minute I was fine, and the next, my neck felt like someone had lit it on fire."

"The Hokage called it a Curse Seal. He bit your neck, and a m-mark appeared there. He wouldn't say anything else."

Naruto nodded, and felt at his neck. Indeed, the source of his pain was a small, bumpy section on the back of his neck. "Did he say what it does?"

She shook her head, averting her eyes. However, before she could say more, another voice boomed from the doorway. "No, but if your teammate will give us a moment of privacy, I shall."

Sarutobi stood, in full official attire, in the doorway, his face a study in compassion and stern disappointment (an odd combination, and one that Naruto was sure he would not like to see again). Hinata, who flushed bright red upon hearing the Hokage speak, hurried from the room without another word.

The Sandaime crossed the room and sat down beside Naruto's hospital bed. "I am afraid that I must begin this particular explanation by boring you with history."

Naruto managed a weak smile around the pain from his neck. "As you may know, there are three ninjas in Konohagakure who are considered to be above and beyond all other shinobi in the country, excepting the Hokage. These three shinobi are known as the Sannin. Our current Sannin are Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin, Tsunade, the Slug Sannin, and Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin."

Naruto felt like he had been punched in the gut. "Wait. You mean that bastard was a Sannin!"

The Hokage sighed. "Indeed, my boy, he was indeed. Although Orochimaru has been made a nukenin, his title will not pass on until a new Snake Sannin is named."

"So why not just name one now, and be done with it?"

"It isn't that simple." Sarutobi's face twitched a bit, as he suppressed a smile. "As much as I wish that the rules of Konoha could be dealt with in as cavalier a manner as you deal with them, there are traditions that must be followed. The title of Sannin is only passed on every 50 years. The new Sannin will not be named for another eight years."

The Kyuubi's container nodded his understanding. "Alright, so, this Orochimaru bastard is a Sannin. What does that have to do with what he did to me?"

"Everything. You, see, my boy, Orochimaru attained his Sannin status because of his creativity. He was a renowned researcher and jutsu technician. Indeed, he was powerful, but there were many in Konoha with more strength, skill, and experience. Orochimaru was selected because of his wits, which were unmatched. His invented jutsu and nin-tools, however, were not enough for him. He began to experiment on _people_."

Here, Sarutobi paused, his eyes shining with sorrow, as though he was responsible for these experimentations. "We did not know, at first. He had moved into a nearby laboratory that we had captured during some border skirmishes, ostensibly because he wanted more space. However, when one of his students returned from his laboratory nearly dead and marked with a strange sign on her neck, we learned the full extent of his experimentation."

Naruto felt bile rise up towards his mouth. "You mean… That this curse seal thing…"

"Is the product of years of Orochimaru's experimentation on how to optimize the human body? Yes. Orochimaru had somehow come across a subject that inspired the curse seal, and, after some experimentation achieved a flawed version of the Curse Seal."

"So what does it do?"

Sarutobi sensed that Naruto was excited by the concept of having his body optimized, and moved quickly to quash the boy's enthusiasm. "It grants large amounts of uncontrolled power at the cost of its user's physical and mental well-being. Orochimaru's student was forced to seal away the Curse Seal before it ate her sanity whole, and to this day she still does battle with the corrupting influence of the Seal."

Naruto's face fell, and he collapsed back onto his bed. He remained silent for a moment, the information fully sinking in. "Is there any way to get rid of it?"

"As I said, it can be sealed away, but the seal cannot be held without the will of the host. I have already completed the sealing process, but you will have to ensure that you do not allow your resolve to falter." The Hokage looked grave for a moment. "In a normal shinobi, allowing the Curse Seal to activate costs them their mind. In your case, with your tenant, the outcome could become far grimmer."

Naruto blanched. "Wonderful… Just what I needed."

**"If it is any comfort, Kit, I have no particular desire to have you go mad, either. You wouldn't be nearly as amusing if you were insane."**

_'Well isn't that just sweet of you.'_

The Sandaime spared him one more look of sympathy before his face hardened. "Now. There is something else I want to talk to you about."

Naruto had received scoldings often enough in his life to recognize that one was about to be given to him. He ducked his head so as not to have to meet The Hokage's eyes. **"Time to face the music, Kit."**

"You are aware of the fact that by leaving jail with Orochimaru, you were technically deserting, correct?"

Naruto sucked in breath. Deserting was a serious charge, for Shinobi. Because of the damage that so many Nukenin had done in the past, _any _Nukenin, even a runaway Genin, could theoretically face execution. Sarutobi was pulling no punches.

He looked up at the old man, hoping to see a joke in his eyes, but Sarutobi's face was blank, and his eyes were as hard as steel. The man, seeing that he had attained Naruto's full attention, continued, "I am aware that you were under duress in the form of a Genjutsu, reinforced with a believable untruth. However, the seriousness of your actions must still be taken into account."

"I-I thought that you had left me behind. After the Kyuubi…"

His voice trailed off, and he felt hot tears pooling behind his eyes. He angrily swiped at them, refusing to surrender to either shame or guilt. Sarutobi gave him another hard look. "Indeed. That is exactly what I wanted to bring up. I have no intention of accusing you of deserting. However, I am troubled by your belief that we had left you behind."

"As you should know, by now, Naruto, Konoha's Genin Teams are designed with teamwork in mind. From the moment we begin training our teams, we teach them to trust one another with their lives and the lives of their loved ones. We teach them that their team is their second family, and their teacher another parent." Sarutobi paused in his lecture to insure that Naruto was paying full attention. "For you to leave your team shows that you lack the trust you need to have in your teammates."

Naruto swallowed hard, forcing the lump in his throat aside, and feebly protested, "I _do _trust them. It's just that the Kyuubi. I thought they hated me again. _I _hated me again. And then Oshima-sama…"

Sarutobi, seeing that his words were having some effect on Naruto, lightened up slightly. "I am glad to hear that. I know that, in your place, it is not easy to trust another. However, it is not me that you need to tell this. It is your teammates who now believe that you do not trust them, and it is they who need your apology."

He said no more, and left the room. As the door began to swing shut, Hinata and Sasuke walked into the room, the former blushing bright red, and the latter scowling with more intensity than normal. Naruto gave them a nod in greeting, and said nothing. He knew that his face was burning with shame, and that only increased his embarrassment.

His teammates plopped down into two seats on either side of him, silent. Moments passed in silence as Hinata fidgeted with her thumbs and Sasuke's glare grew darker. Naruto felt the dual weights of guilt and fear settling upon his shoulders. Finally, when Naruto felt he could take no more of the silent torture, Sasuke snapped.

"Dammit, moron! That was-"

"I know. I'm sorry."

Naruto's voice was choked with emotion. Sasuke looked away from Naruto, not wanting to share in his friend's emotional turmoil. "Just, y'know. Don't do it again, or I'll beat the shit out of you. _We'll _beat the shit out of you. Right, Hinata?"

"W-well… M-maybe w-we-"

Sasuke smirked at her discomfiture. "We'll take that as a yes."

Again, they lapsed into silence. This time, however, the silence was not tinged with the acrid stench of discomfort, but rather with the warm scent of companionship. Naruto reclined on his bed, relieved by his teammates' quick acceptance of his apologies.

Naruto did not know if it was minutes later, or an hour, when Hinata's voice, without a stutter, interrupted his thoughts. "Naruto-kun. You are our teammate, right?"

He bit back a mischievous denial. "Yes."

When he turned his head to look at her, she was staring at him intensely, her lavender eyes burning a hole in him where they stared. Her usual flush was missing, and her hands were steady in her lap. For a moment, he wondered if an infiltrator had replaced his shy teammate. However, when she saw that he was looking at her, some of her normal red tint returned.

"Then… Then we need to trust one another." She paused here, searching for words. Her mouth opened and closed twice, before she spoke again. "I want you to make a promise to us."

Sasuke's head, which had been dipping towards his chest (Naruto wasn't sure how anyone could actually fall asleep in one of the uncomfortable chairs that the hospital provided), had perked up in interest. However, the dark-haired boy said nothing. Naruto, realizing that Hinata was waiting for a reply, nodded for her to continue.

"I… I want you to promise that you will never assume that we have turned against you, and that you will always let us explain ourselves to you before you jump to conclusions. In exchange, we promise that no matter what you do, we will always be your friends."

Naruto said nothing, not wanting to give away the strong surge of emotion that welled up in his stomach. The warmth of friendship, and the enveloping comfort of mutual trust brought a new kind of tears to his eyes. _'Is this what it's like to have a family?'_

"Yeah. I can promise you that."

No more words were spoken. They were unnecessary for the three Genin. After a time, Naruto drifted into the land of sleep. As he was slowly melting into oblivion, he almost swore he heard Sasuke say, "And the next time you decide you want a tattoo, bring me along with you."

A few hours later, Hatake Kakashi stuck his head into Naruto's room whilst searching for his wayward students. Unsurprisingly, his whole team was in the room. All three were asleep, Sasuke's head leaning against his chest as he snored gently (Kakashi made a mental note to tease him about this fact later), Hinata, leaning against the wall where she sat beside Naruto's head, and Naruto on the bed, the broadest grin Kakashi had ever seen stretching across his face. He smiled, the fabric of his masking stretching slightly, and briskly walked out of the room.

_'It looks like they didn't need me after all. Naruto, you have no idea how lucky you are to get a chance to apologize.'_

He quashed that last train of thought, knowing that his own mistakes and demons belonged firmly in his past, and affixed an even brighter smile to his obscured face. _'It may take the worst kind of scum to turn their backs on their teammates, but it takes a true hero to seek to make amends.'_

- - - - - - - - -

**Author's Notes: **Well there you go. The "Court Intrigue" Arc is over. We have a couple transition chapters ahead of us, and then we go right into the Wave Country Arc. Looking forward to it? I'm hoping to keep my output up (I think that I have 10,000 words published over the last two weeks, which is a big step up from none for months on end) throughout the rest of the summer, and, depending on my course-load at college, through college. I hope you enjoyed the (very belated) Chapter 11 of Seeking a Center. Look forward to Chapter 12: Can't Forgive some time in the next two weeks, after Chapter 2 of Year of the Stone comes out.


	12. Chapter 12: Can't Forgive

Seeking a Center By Smertios 

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Chapter 12: Can't Forgive

'Isn't it nice I don't have to look far  
To find the person who leaves the deepest scar  
Isn't it sad that as long as I live  
I am the fuck-up  
That I can't forgive'

Embrace: Can't Forgive

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**(Three Weeks Later – Konohagakure)**

As always, morning broke softly into the Hyuuga Compound. Small rays of light crept through the windows, weaving an intricate pattern in the shadows on the floor. Hinata, who was used to waking up to the slow fingers of light creeping across her eyes, watched with bleary eyes as the transient glowing dance spilled across her floor. The sight was an overwhelming one, beautiful and simple. Hinata, however, could not appreciate it.

Her eyes, usually expressive, were unfocussed and blank, reflecting the war going on in her head. Exhaustion and guilt battled for control, the first dragging her back down to her mattress to close her eyes and slip off into oblivion, and the second flashing images before her eyes, refusing to allow her the rest she needed.

She supposed that, at some point, she must have drifted off to sleep the previous night, because the time had passed less slowly than it should have. However, the line between nightmare and waking was so thin, that she wasn't sure how long. It couldn't have been long, she thought, because she felt as though she had gotten no sleep at all.

It wasn't that she wanted to remain awake. However, whenever she closed her eyes, she could see the mocking eyes of Orochimaru staring into her soul, picking apart her life languidly, as though bored of it, and judging her unfit.

_He raised his hand to strike, mockery ablaze in his eyes, and fear shook her to the core. "So this is the heir of the Hyuuga Clan? Dear Hiashi must be so… Disappointed. Where is the vaunted Hyuuga pride? Silly little girl, you cannot even defend your pitiful teammates.'_

_His hand flashed downwards, and –_

"Hinata! Wake up!" Her father was leaning over her, looking concerned. "You're late to your team meeting."

She bolted upright from where she had slid down her wall in her sleep, a crick in her neck scolding her for sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. To her horror, an uncharacteristic oath sprung from her lips, causing her father to raise his eyebrows. Her face quickly turned scarlet, and she mumbled an indistinct apology.

Hiashi, however, was not content to let it go at that. His eyebrows constricted in worry, and he queried, "Is something wrong, Hinata? Your behavior is most out of character for you."

"N-nothing, O-otousan."

He gave her a piercing look, and for a moment, she silently damned the Byaakugan's ability to read emotions with great ease. Her father's eyes, though deactivated, clearly were aware of her lies. After a moment, he nodded. "Well, when you decide to tell me, I am here. For the moment, I suggest that you go to your meeting before you are later than your sensei."

He left the room, and she sprang into action, throwing on a set of clean clothes, and pulling together her kit. Moments later, she rushed from her room and ran out of the compound at a flat sprint.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Naruto casually rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling the pattern of raised skin that the curse seal, and the surrounding seal that the Sandaime had applied to control in, created. "I wonder where Hinata is…"

Sasuke, who was grumpier than usual, no doubt due to the combined lateness of their teacher and teammate, harrumphed. "No doubt she figured out that there was no point in showing up on time when our teacher never does. It's a pity that you never learned that, moron, because I could have used the extra sleep."

Naruto made a rude gesture at him with the hand that was not rubbing the back of his neck. It was true that he had awakened his teammate from a sound slumber by pounding on the doorway of the building that the boy called a home. "You never know, some day, we'll all have given up on Kakashi-sensei turning up on time, and we won't be there when he actually does. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"

The sole survivor of the Uchiha clan rolled his eyes at him. "As if. That will never happen."

"Wanna bet?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well, since you're so sure that Kakashi-sensei will never show up to a meeting on time, I figured you might as well back your words up." Naruto gave a foxy grin, knowing that the proud Uchiha could never turn down a bet that was phrased in that manner. His ego would not allow it. "Since you're so sure, let's do this. If, by the time we make chuunin, Kakashi turns up on time to a meeting, you have to… I dunno… Ask an annoying fan girl out on a date. The pink-haired one. What ever her name is."

The pale boy flinched at Naruto's terms, but nodded his head. "Fine, but if you lose, you have to…" He paused, clearly trying to think of something on the level of taking Haruno Sakura on a date. "Ask… Hinata, out on a date!"

Naruto, who was sure of his victory (and not all that afraid of the consequences of defeat. After all, Hinata was a nice girl.), stuck his hand out. "Deal."

Sasuke shook his hand, grasping it more tightly than was truly necessary. For a moment, they entertained themselves with trying to crush one another's hand, but before they could succeed in their goal of rendering one another unable to pick up so much as a pencil, Hinata came sprinting into their meeting site.

Naruto's jaw dropped as she approached. Her lavender eyes were surrounded by deep circles and her pale skin was even paler. As she reached the bridge, she stuttered out an apology. "G-gomen... I fell asleep."

Her breath was coming in ragged pants, and, now that she was closer, Naruto could see that her eyes were bloodshot. Naruto peered at her in consternation. "Hinata, are you alright?"

She flushed, adding some color to her too-pale skin. "Y-yes, of course. F-fine. W-why do y-you ask?"

Her stutter had clearly come back with a revenge, and Naruto felt his concern growing. "You don't look well. Are you sick or something?"

She shook her head violently, and Sasuke gave a grunt. "You should sleep more, Hinata. If you are not rested, your practice will do more harm than good."

Hinata, who clearly wanted the whole issue to be dropped, nodded and redirected the conversation. "Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet?"

"Nope." Naruto balanced on the edge of the bridge, both hands behind his neck as he swayed back and forth with his center of gravity. "The lazy bastard is probably still asleep."

"What lazy bastard?" From nowhere, their Sensei appeared on the bridge, peering at Naruto in interest. "It's terribly rude of him to still be asleep."

"Waaaah!!!" The surprise appearance of Konoha's Copy-cat Ninja disrupted Naruto's balance, and he fell, his arms windmilling. He hit the water with a great splash. A moment later, his head appeared in the water, and he shook it like a dog. "What was that for?"

Kakashi's good eye curved upwards in an invisible smile. "What?"

The blonde paddled over to the steep edges of the river, and he dragged himself out. However, he decided it was not worth the effort of arguing with his teacher on this matter, and so he let it drop. "You're late!"

Their teacher opened his mouth to make an excuse, but Sasuke interrupted him. "Whatever. He's never on time anyway. What are we doing today?"

Kakashi arched a grey eyebrow at the foul-tempered Uchiha, but did not comment on his rudeness. "The Hokage is giving us two weeks off from missions to recuperate. We're going to spend that time working on improving chakra control."

"Why?" Sasuke protested. "I mean, we've already learned to climb trees. Why learn any more? We should be learning more powerful techniques, since we were beaten so thoroughly."

"What you learned was the most simplistic of chakra control exercises. It was a low level Genin technique, at most. While it expanded your chakra control and your reserves, to use powerful techniques, you will need more than simply tree-climbing." Kakashi paused, and glanced at Naruto. "Also… The Hokage specifically requested that we focus on them."

Naruto felt as though he had been punched in the gut. Kakashi's meaning was clear. The Hokage had insisted that Naruto was too much of a liability until the Hokage was sure that he could control the Curse Seal. _'I'm holding them back.'_

It didn't bother him that he was seen as a threat. After all, he had been seen that way for much of his life, prior to being sent off to the Monastery. What bothered him was that his team was being held back by his weakness. "I-I shouldn't be holding them back."

To his surprise Sasuke was the first to correct him. "We're all going to learn this eventually, aren't we? We may as well learn it now. Besides which, you didn't ask to get that stupid thing attached to your neck."

Hinata nodded, and Kakashi patted him on the head. "Exactly what Sasuke said. If you ever want to be Hokage, you need to know these exercises anyway."

Naruto nodded solemnly, not necessarily convinced, but willing to go along. Kakashi began to walk off the bridge and onto the bank of the small river that ran through the city. To Naruto's surprise, when he reached the edge of the water, he did not stop, but instead began to walk on the water with the same ease that he had walked on the land. "How did you do that?"

Kakashi got to the other side of the river, and hopped off. "It's actually fairly easy. You use the same technique that you use to climb trees, but you expel Chakra from your feet constantly and have to be careful to keep the flow constant."

Naruto went to the edge of the water to try himself, but Kakashi stopped him. "For the moment, we'll start with still water. Running water is harder to walk on because it's moving. Meet me at Training Area 19 in 10 minutes."

With that, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sasuke stood up from where he was leaning against the edge of the bridge and began to walk towards the Training Area (which Naruto was fairly sure was very close to their normal training area. Naruto followed, but after a second, he realized that Hinata was not along. "Sasuke, wait."

He turned around, and to his shock, the young Hyuuga heiress was asleep on the bridge. Sasuke, who had turned around, caught up with him, and joined him in watching her with concern. "Do you think something's wrong?"

Naruto made a face, and nodded. "Yeah. She's never like this, usually."

"Maybe she's just short on sleep."

Naruto made a noncommittal sound, and walked over to where his lavender-eyed teammate was sleeping. He lightly shook her shoulder, and said. "Hey, Hinata, wake up. We've got training to do."

She stirred, and with a groan of effort, forced her eyes open. Naruto watched her struggle with consciousness with an expression of concern. "Are you okay, Hinata? Maybe you're sick. If you aren't feeling well, you should go home and rest."

Hinata shot to her feet shaking her head (and narrowly missing Naruto's chin as she stood). "No!"

As her shout echoed back at her, she blushed bright red. "I mean… Um… I'm fine, r-really!"

Sasuke grunted his annoyance. "If you're sure… You need to be careful. If you fall asleep during training, you could get hurt."

She looked away, not meeting Naruto's eyes. He could see her face struggling with disappointment. After a moment, she replied, "I'm fine. I won't hold you back, I promise."

"It isn't about holding us back." Naruto protested. "We're concerned that you might hurt yourself."

Hinata shook her head emphatically, and began walking. After a moment, Naruto noted. "Um… Hinata, you're going the wrong way."

The ten minute walk to Training Area 19 was largely uneventful, but Naruto felt his concern for Hinata grow as she stumbled over her feet, and remained largely unresponsive. Twice he was forced to stop her from walking into a wall, and each time she refused to return home and rest.

In the end, they arrived at the Training Area late (albeit still before Kakashi), and stopped to gape at the sight before them. Training Area 19 was a giant water park. There were simulation rivers of different speeds and depths, a giant pool, and a number of water slides. "This is a training area? How cool!"

Sasuke laughed at Naruto's comment, and Hinata chuckled slightly. They all sat down on the edge of the pool, and waited. Hinata was slightly more awake, and she managed to carry on a conversation with them for a while. After a while, the discussion turned to Naruto's seal. Surprisingly, Sasuke was the one to bring it up. "Naruto, has the seal acted up or anything?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. Occasionally it stings, but nothing too bad."

**"Liar."**

_'What they don't know, can't hurt them.' _It wasn't entirely a lie, either. The seal _did _occasionally sting, but when it stung, the feeling of fire that spread throughout him, especially to his seal, was so intense that he felt like he had suffered a point-blank blast from Sasuke's Goukakyuu. _'Besides, you said it isn't anything to worry about, didn't you,'_

His tenant made no reply, so he declared himself the victor. Hinata, paying full attention for the first time since the conversation had begun, frowned at his answer. "Naruto, if it bothers you, you should tell Sandaime-sama. He was very clear about that."

Naruto grunted in response, and the subject was summarily dropped, although both Hinata and Sasuke had begun to glance at his neck every fairly regularly with trepidation.

After they had waited for nearly fifteen minutes, Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke. "I'm sorry; I got pulled into an interdimensional rift and was forced to fight a war to save the world."

Naruto blinked. For once he was completely at a loss to say _anything._ After a moment or so of absolutely shocked silence, Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well then… To work. This is Training Area 19, better known as the Suiton Complex. It's generally used by Shinobi specializing in the water element. Today, however, we are going to be using it to practice walking on water. Do you all remember my instructions from before?"

To Naruto's surprise, Hinata gave a very definite nod. He was sure that she had been asleep at that time, and so he decided a small white lie was in order. "Uh… Sensei, I sorta forgot them…"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and repeated his instructions word for word. Within five minutes, they were making their first attempts at walking on water.

When they had done the tree climbing exercise, Hinata had been the first to complete it. It had taken her only three tries to climb the tree completely, and although she had stayed and worked while her teammates did, it had clearly been no challenge for her. This time, however, she was the first to fall in.

Naruto stepped onto the water for the first time, and managed to retain his balance for three seconds or so. However, as he had been concentrating, Hinata had taken her first step onto the water, and had fallen straight in, making the water ripple, and causing Naruto to tumble into the water.

Both had come up sopping wet, while Sasuke remained atop the water for another few seconds, laughing at them. Kakashi showed them all a technique that dried their clothes fairly quickly (noting that a ninja dripping water was a ninja incapable of remaining quiet), and had warned them not to put too much energy into (Naruto had ignored him, and had promptly set his clothes on fire, before plunging into the water).

And so it continued for a few hours. Naruto was managing to stay on the water for nearly a minute at a time, and could take a few faltering steps before crashing into the deep, still pool. Sasuke had gotten to the point where, if he stood still, he could remain on the water nearly indefinitely (Naruto was happy to note, however, that Sasuke could not walk on it yet). Hinata, on the other hand, had made no progress.

She could now remain on the water for about a second, before she fell in. Kakashi had been concerned that the team member who was best at Chakra control exercises was performing so poorly, and had asked if she was alright.

To his surprise, she had vehemently insisted that she was fine, and that she wasn't going to hold anyone back. Kakashi had backpedaled quickly, and not said anything to the girl, whose strange behavior had not ceased.

Naruto was celebrating a five step success when Hinata went crashing into the water. The sound of her fall jarred him and he, too, plummeted into the water. He came up, gasping for breath, and looked around.

After a couple seconds, Hinata had still not surfaced. With growing concern, he ducked his head into the water, and began to search for her frantically. The pool was at least 35 feet deep, and shadows kept him from seeing to the bottom. His lungs burned as he descended quickly seeking his teammate and friend.

He was about to give up and try to use his chakra to catapult himself to the surface, when a glimpse of lavender showed in the corner of his eyes. His lungs felt ready to explode as he swam over to where Hinata was sinking, her body completely still, her eyes closed, and her hair like a halo around her head.

With one hand, he snagged her arm, and with the other, he grabbed the edge of the pool, shooting chakra into it the resulting propulsion carried them to the surface, where Naruto gasped, barely able to hold Hinata and remain afloat.

After a moment, his burden was relieved by Kakashi, who had walked into the middle of the water and picked her up. Naruto swam over to the side, and flopped onto solid ground, breathing hard and feeling very cold. After he had caught his breath, he crawled over to where Kakashi was kneeling over a prone Hinata (who looked surprisingly reminiscent of a drowned rat), and watched in concern.

Kakashi concentrated for a moment, and his fingers glowed blue with chakra concentration. Wordlessly, he pushed his fingers into Hinata's solar plexus, and she gasped loudly, and began coughing up water. Her eyes opened, and she rolled over, heaving, trying to get the water out of her system.

Minutes passed, and eventually her breathing returned to normal. She gave one last loud cough, and then collapsed, shivering to the ground. Naruto rushed to check on her. "Is she alright?"

Sasuke caught his shoulder, and watched Kakashi with concerned eyes. Kakashi used the drying jutsu he had taught them earlier, and Hinata's clothes and hair dried out. "Shock. We need to get her to the Hospital."

He scooped Hinata up onto his shoulder, formed a half-seal with his right hand, and disappeared. Naruto shook Sasuke's hand off of his shoulder and ran to where his sensei had been a moment ago. His raven-haired teammate joined him shortly. "Naruto, he took her to the hospital, we should follow."

Naruto nodded, and they were off. They moved quickly and with purpose in the direction of the Konoha Shinobi Hospital. The rush of air past him was enough to dry him off quickly, and he dashed ignoring faces and forms. Sasuke followed, occasionally stopping to apologize to passersby who Naruto ran down in his rush.

Naruto's world was reduced to two impulses: run, and find friend. Extraneous details were expunged from his mind, and he rushed down the streets of Konoha with tunnel vision. Later, he would say that he could not remember if it had been a minute since he began running, or an hour when he reached the Hospital.

He rushed in the doorway, pushing the heavy doors aside with a crash. The secretary at the desk looked up, and her face became a sneer of disdain. "Get out. We will not have you causing trouble in this Hospital, brat."

A deep growl sounded in his throat, and he would have yelled at the woman, but Sasuke came thundering into the room at that moment, and came to stand beside Naruto. The secretary's attention was taken away from Naruto and in the simpering manner that so many of Konoha's residents used with the sole remaining Uchiha. "How can I help you, Sasuke-kun?"

"Has Hyuuga Hinata been checked into this hospital recently?"

The secretary blinked. "Yes, she arrived here ten minutes ago with Hatake Kakashi. She's still with the doctor, but you can go wait near her room. She's in room 106 three doors down to your right."

Sasuke nodded and wordlessly began to walk towards the room at a brisk pace. Naruto turned to follow, but the acidic voice of the Secretary cut him short. "Wait. I didn't say you could go, demon."

Naruto's rage redoubled, and he was moments from jumping at the woman in his rage, when Sasuke spoke. "He's with me. Leave him alone."

The cold steel of the raven-haired boy's voice quieted any objection from the woman, and she nodded, her eyes the size of saucers. Sasuke gripped Naruto's shoulder and began pulling him along. "Hinata first. You can worry about that stupid bitch later."

Naruto brushed Sasuke's hand off, but kept walking towards the designated door. "I know that."

Outside the door, Kakashi was leaning on the wall, with a completely blank expression. Sasuke and Naruto walked up to him and slid down the wall on either side, sitting down. Sasuke voiced their collective concern first. "How is she?"

"She'll be fine. The doctors say that it is a simple case of shock and exhaustion, and that rest and time will heal her now. They're in there checking to make sure that nothing else caused her to pass out like that."

Some of the fear in Naruto's stomach seemed to come unknotted, but the mass of it remained. They sat in silence for twenty more minutes, before two Medic-nin walked out. The older of the two, a man with graying hair and a lined face greeted them with a bow. "Hyuuga-san seems to merely be suffering from lack of sleep, likely post-mission stress. She should be urged to talk to someone about it, and to see a psychologist if the problem continues. For the moment, however, she should be absolutely fine in a day or so."

The other doctor paused to sneer at Naruto, and bowed to them before walking off. His colleague scowled at his back. "Forgive him, he is still new to this business, and he suffers from the arrogance of youth."

Naruto nodded his understanding, and the man left without another word. As one, the team walked into Hinata's room, and arrayed themselves on the nearby seats.

For a time, they sat, concern and frustration etched into their faces. No words were exchanged, as they sat with the pale, quiet girl who was their teammate. She was paler than usual. Her skin was nearly translucent, and her lips retained a bluish tinge to them. Her dark-blue hair shone glossily in contrast with her pale skin, and Naruto found himself staring at her, enthralled with her otherworldly beauty.

"**You shouldn't stare, Kit. It's rude."**

He fought to keep his grimace off of his fate. _'Shut it, puppy. I'm just worried.'_

The Kyuubi guffawed. **"Worried… Right."**

After a few more minutes of quiet contemplation, the door creaked open, and a tall man with black hair and blank eyes, like Hinata, walked into the room. Kakashi immediately rose, and gave the man a bow. "Hiashi-sama."

The man gave Kakashi next to no acknowledgement, and walked over to stand next to his daughter. "She will be alright?"

"Yes"

To Naruto's surprise, it was not Kakashi who spoke, but Naruto. The man looked at Naruto, piercing him with his powerful eyes. "Good. See that she remains that way."

For some reason, Naruto felt as though more that what he had just heard had been said, and he nodded. The man stroked his daughter's cheek gently and turned back to Naruto. "What happened?"

The blonde-haired Jinchuuriki told the whole story, leaving out no details. When he finished, the man nodded. "Yes, I believe she has been sleeping poorly since she returned from your mission. I would speak to her… But she is reticent to speak with me."

The man sighed in frustration and Kakashi's mask stretched slightly as he opened his mouth to speak. However, the man ignored Kakashi completely. Instead he gave Naruto a significant look, and walked from the room. "I expect you will keep your word, boy."

Naruto nodded, and steeled his face in determination. "I will. I always do. That is my nindo."

After the man had left, Kakashi spent a few moments observing Naruto, and then the gray-haired scarecrow shrugged and stood up. "Well, I need to go speak with the Hokage. You two have tomorrow off, but I expect to see you the next day well-rested and prepared to train twice as hard."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded, and they fell into silence as the man left. For an hour or so, the only sound was the mutter of doctors passing by in the hall, and the clamor of the street outside. As the murmur of city noises began to fade, and the sun peeked through the windows in its swing towards the horizon, Sasuke rose, and left.

Now Naruto was left alone with his female teammate as she slept. The rhythmic drip of water from a nearby faucet was his only company. He spent the time in silent contemplation, his face a mask of frustration.

He had known that something was wrong, but had he done enough to stop it? Now, more than ever before, he understood Sarutobi's emphasis on teamwork and friendship. The frustration of being shut out and of failing to protect a teammate from their pain was slowly eating at him.

Worse was the knowledge that it was his responsibility alone to fix this dilemma. The weight of responsibility seemed harshest in what was, in his eyes, the wake of a failure of his responsibilities.

With these warring emotions, he watched the sun sink below the horizon, and the room grew dark. Some hours later, he realized that it was likely past midnight. He cursed, and tried to rise, but as he rose from his seat, Hinata whimpered in her sleep. She began to toss and turn, and make indiscernible sounds of fear. With concern, Naruto sat down and watched helplessly for a moment.

However, as he returned to his seat her nightmare seemed to fade, and she fell back into a peaceful sleep. He promised himself that he would leave in an hour, and settled down to keep watch over her sleep. Within ten minutes, he too had fallen into the arms of Morpheus.

--- --- --- --- ---

Hinata slipped into wakefulness with the reluctance of one who had slept for 24 hours. She pried her eyes open with great effort, and was greeted by the harsh light of the noonday sun. She raised an arm to cover her eyes, but found that it was trapped by a heavy weight.

With some confusion she glanced around her surroundings and found herself in the sterile, white environment of a hospital room. As she slowly remembered the previous day's events, she felt shame burn its way across her face. Again, she had failed her teammates with her weakness.

Before she could get caught up in her depression, she realized that the weight on her arm was someone's head. Naruto was asleep, his head resting on top of her arm as he sat half-in, half-out of a nearby chair. His back rose and fell slowly in the rhythm of his sleep, and Hinata blushed even brighter, this time at the proximity of her crush.

She lightly reached out with her other arm and shook him into wakefulness. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, still not well oriented. After a moment, he realized where he was, and blushed a little in embarrassment.

"Um… I must've fallen asleep here last night or something…"

Hinata smiled a little at his bashful tone. "D-don't worry, Naruto-kun. I am sorry for making you worry. You shouldn't worry about me."

She did not know what response she was expecting, but his cry of outrage was not what she had expected. "Yes I should! Hinata, you're my teammate and my friend! It's my job to worry about you when you are hurt or unhappy."

Her face grew hot with a blush but she shook her head. "You shouldn't! I keep holding you back! I'm too weak to be on the same team as you and Sasuke. I could not even defend myself for a moment against our attackers, and I could not even manage to train without nearly getting myself killed! I'm a useless teammate!"

He shook his head emphatically. "No you aren't! You were the one who looked after Sasuke when he was poisoned, and stalled Orochimaru until I broke his genjutsu! You're an important part of our team, and you're our friend. When something is bothering you, you need to tell us."

Now, tears were pouring down her face, and she her face in her hands. "B-but… B-but… I'm so weak!"

Naruto reached out and patted her shoulder awkwardly. "No you aren't. You got graduated from the academy early, didn't you? No weakling would graduate early! You're a powerful holder of a major bloodline, and a skilled Kunoichi. Don't say anything else! Walk with your head high, and have no regrets. That's my nindo!"

Fighting frustration and gratefulness, she threw herself on his shoulder and cried. He awkwardly held her and patted her back while she sobbed out her inner demons and frustrations.

Some time later, her tears subsided, and she leaned off of Naruto's shoulder slightly. "T-thank you, Naruto-kun."

He smiled at her, and she felt herself smile in return, as his sunny smile burned into her. "No problem, Hinata. That's what friends are for."

She nodded, and finally felt the embarrassment of having sobbed on her crush's shoulder for so long rush through her. Before she could pull away, Naruto caught her gaze. "Hinata, remember, you are not weak. The only person who is weak is the person who does not try. Always try your hardest, and work to be your best, and nothing else matters at all. And if you need help, your friends are here, okay?"

Hinata nodded slightly and felt a rush of determination. "Yes, Naruto-kun. I'll work my hardest to become stronger and never need to feel shame after a mission again."

He smiled at her, and was about to say something when the door swung open, and Sasuke stepped into the room. For a moment, the boy stood stock-still as he stared at his teammates, and then he backed out of the room. "Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt anything!"

--- --- --- --- ---

**Author's Notes: **And there you are. Two chapters in the same night. I'm really tired now. Hope that you enjoyed a little bit of fluff there. I'll be back soon with the next chapter of Seeking a Center: Chapter 13: Half a Century.


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